Sicily. Gela. AR Didrachm (8.51g), 500-490 BC. Jenkins 3; Gillet 408 (this coin). Lightly toned. Perfectly centered and struck. A coin of magnificent late Archaic style! Choice extremely fine. Acquired privately from Arnumis (Anne Demeester), Brussels; Münzen & Medaillen 1987 (72) lot 504; Münzen & Medaillen 1978 (54) lot 86; Charles Gillet (1879-1972) collection.

The nudity of the aristocratic horseman on obverse of this coin tells us that he is not fighting, but is showing off his skills in a military-style horse race during the Olympic games; very probably this event involved a horseman at the gallop, hurling his spear at a target. The reverse shows the river-god Gelas, the badge of the city, depicted in typical Greek fashion as a man-headed bull, a symbol of the river's power and importance. In Antiquity, just like today, water was key to life!