Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 116 1 Oct 2019
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Catana
Drachm in the style of Procles circa 405, AR 4.20 g. Fast quadriga driven r. by charioteer, holding kentron and reins; above, Nike flying l. to crown her. Double exergual line. Rev. Diademed head l. of river-god Amenanos; at either side, two fish and below chin, crayfish. Above, AMENANOΣ. SNG Lloyd 906 var. (ethnic on obverse). SNG Manchester 384 (these dies).
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. An exquisite portrait of fine
style perfectly struck and centred on a large flan with a light iridescent tone.
A hairline flan crack at two o'clock on reverse, otherwise extremely fine
Ex Triton sale XIV, 2011, 23.
The obverse of the present drachm of Catana reflects the typological influence of Syracuse in its use of a racing quadriga. However it is unusual in that the expected male charioteer has been replaced by a female figure, perhaps representing the eponymous nymph of the city. The reverse depicts the head of Amenanos, the god of the nearby river. While Sicilian river-gods were often depicted as bearded man-faced bulls in emulation of their father Acheloos, Amenanos appears in fully realized and youthful human form. The only obvious indicator that he is a river-god comes from the petite bull's horn that emerges from his hair and the fact that his head is surrounded by such riverine creatures as fish and crayfish. This coin is remarkable and highly desirable not only for its high artistry but for the fact that its style (e.g. double exergue lines, positioning of the horses' legs, posture of the charioteer, and treatment of Amenanos' hair) identifies it as a rare unsigned issue of Prokles, an engraver who signed tetradrachms of Catana. His unsigned drachms are a rarity in the drachm series of Catana. The issues signed by Euainetos, Herakleidas and Choirion are more common. The present drachm was struck at the high point of the engraver's art at Catana, which also fell at the cusp of the city's fortunes. As a Chalkidian Greek city, Catana was frequently in conflict with Dorian Syracuse and in 427 BC joined neighboring Leontinoi in seeking Athenian aid against their shared enemy. When the Athenians arrived in force in 415 BC, Catana became an important staging area for the war against Syracuse. Unfortunately for Catana, the Sicilian Expedition (415-413 BC) ended in complete disaster for the Athenians and the Syracusans never forgot. In the year that the coin was struck, Dionysios I became tyrant of Syracuse. Two years later, in 403 BC, Catana was betrayed into the hands of the tyrant. He plundered the city, enslaved the inhabitants, and repopulated Catana with Campanian mercenaries.
Drachm in the style of Procles circa 405, AR 4.20 g. Fast quadriga driven r. by charioteer, holding kentron and reins; above, Nike flying l. to crown her. Double exergual line. Rev. Diademed head l. of river-god Amenanos; at either side, two fish and below chin, crayfish. Above, AMENANOΣ. SNG Lloyd 906 var. (ethnic on obverse). SNG Manchester 384 (these dies).
Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. An exquisite portrait of fine
style perfectly struck and centred on a large flan with a light iridescent tone.
A hairline flan crack at two o'clock on reverse, otherwise extremely fine
Ex Triton sale XIV, 2011, 23.
The obverse of the present drachm of Catana reflects the typological influence of Syracuse in its use of a racing quadriga. However it is unusual in that the expected male charioteer has been replaced by a female figure, perhaps representing the eponymous nymph of the city. The reverse depicts the head of Amenanos, the god of the nearby river. While Sicilian river-gods were often depicted as bearded man-faced bulls in emulation of their father Acheloos, Amenanos appears in fully realized and youthful human form. The only obvious indicator that he is a river-god comes from the petite bull's horn that emerges from his hair and the fact that his head is surrounded by such riverine creatures as fish and crayfish. This coin is remarkable and highly desirable not only for its high artistry but for the fact that its style (e.g. double exergue lines, positioning of the horses' legs, posture of the charioteer, and treatment of Amenanos' hair) identifies it as a rare unsigned issue of Prokles, an engraver who signed tetradrachms of Catana. His unsigned drachms are a rarity in the drachm series of Catana. The issues signed by Euainetos, Herakleidas and Choirion are more common. The present drachm was struck at the high point of the engraver's art at Catana, which also fell at the cusp of the city's fortunes. As a Chalkidian Greek city, Catana was frequently in conflict with Dorian Syracuse and in 427 BC joined neighboring Leontinoi in seeking Athenian aid against their shared enemy. When the Athenians arrived in force in 415 BC, Catana became an important staging area for the war against Syracuse. Unfortunately for Catana, the Sicilian Expedition (415-413 BC) ended in complete disaster for the Athenians and the Syracusans never forgot. In the year that the coin was struck, Dionysios I became tyrant of Syracuse. Two years later, in 403 BC, Catana was betrayed into the hands of the tyrant. He plundered the city, enslaved the inhabitants, and repopulated Catana with Campanian mercenaries.