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27
Sicily, Kamarina. Silver Tetradrachm (16.96 g), ca. 425-405 BC. Athena driving galloping quadriga right;
above, Nike flying left, crowning Athena with wreath; in exergue, fish right.Rev.
KAMARI
-
NAION
,
bearded head of Herakles left, wearing lion’s skin headdress. Westermark & Jenkins 144 (O6/R12); SNG
Lloyd 869 (same dies); Rizzo pl. 5, 14 (same dies); BMFA 259 = Warren 206 (same dies). Minor flan defect
on nose and jaw. Lightly toned. Choice Very Fine.
$3,000
From the Dionysus Collection.
Founded by the Syracusan oikists Daskon and Menekolos in 598 BC, the city of Kamarina sat on the southeastern cor-
ner of Sicily, closer to Gela than to its parent city. Both cities vied for influence, with the result that Kamarina was sacked
and resettled numerous times throughout its turbulent history. During the Athenian Expedition on the late fifth centu-
ry BC, Kamarina remained officially neutral but grudgingly lent limited support to defend Syracuse. It was at this time
that the city’s mint began producing this remarkable series of tetradrachms, initially copying the quadriga type of Syracuse
in a somewhat stilted fashion, then following it with tetradrachms of much superior style vividly depicting a racing quadri-
ga combined with a wonderful portrait of Herakles. The minting of these beautiful coins lasted only until 405 BC, as the
mint ceased operations when the city’s inhabitants were evacuated to Syracuse due to Carthaginian activity in the area.
Finely Executed Dies of Katane Silver Tetradrachm
28
Sicily, Katane. Silver Tetradrachm (16.98 g), ca. 435-425 BC. Dies by the “Maestro della foglia”
.
Chario-
teer, holding kentron and reins, driving fast quadriga right; above, Nike flying right, crowning horses with
wreath.Rev. KATANAION, laureate head of Apollo right; behind, plane-leaf (mostly off flan). SNG
Lloyd 898 (same dies); SNG ANS 1256 (same dies); Rizzo pl. 11, 16 (these dies); Gulbenkian 185 (these
dies). Beautiful fine classical style. Slightly short of flan, delicate light toning. Extremely Fine.
$3,000
From the Dionysus Collection.