Numismatica Ars Classica
Auction 124 23 Jun 2021
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Syracuse.
Stater circa 278 under Pyrrhus, AV 8.55 g. Head of Athena r., wearing triple-crested Corinthian helmet, bowl decorated with pegasus, triple-pendant earring and pearl necklace; behind, owl and beneath neck truncation, A. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΠYPPOY Nike alighting l., holding a wreath in her r. hand and a trophy in her l.; at her feet, on l., bucranium. BMC 1. Jameson 1124 (these dies). Gulbenkian 910 (this obverse die). Kraay-Hirmer pl. 151, 475 (these dies). AMB 522 (these dies). Buttrey, NC 1973, pl. 2, 42 (these dies).
Extremely rare and among the finest specimens in private hands. An interesting and
fascinating issue with a lovely portrait of excellent style and a finely engraved
reverse composition. An unobtrusive mark on cheek and a small edge nick at
nine o'clock on reverse, otherwise about extremely fine / extremely fine
Ex Leu 42, Zurich, 1987, 214; Leu 52, 1991, 67 and New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero 342 sales.
In 280 BC, Pyrrhus of Epirus accepted the request of Tarentum to defend it and the other cities of Magna Graecia from the expanding power of Rome. The Epirote king defeated the Romans at both at Herakleia (280 BC) and at Asculum (279 BC), but at such high cost that it became clear that if he continued to win battles in this way his army would soon be destroyed. In 278 BC, while considering his options, the Syracusans begged him to come and fight the Carthaginians who had always been at war with the Greek cities for control of Sicily. As a break from the problematic Roman war, Pyrrhos accepted this diversion and was so successful that by 277 BC he had all but driven the Carthaginians from the island and claimed the title of King of Sicily. All that remained was to expel the Punic garrison from Lilybaeum, but because of its location, the only way to do this was through a naval blockade. The only way to obtain the ships for the blockade was to obtain money from the Greek cities to build and man a proper fleet. When the cities balked at this necessity, Pyrrhus imposed his own garrisons. This development immediately destroyed the king's previous popularity in Sicily and the Greek cities began negotiating with the Carthaginians against him! Realizing that Sicily would be nothing but trouble to rule, Pyrrhus inflicted one further defeat on a new Punic army and then returned to Italy for a second round against the Romans.
This stunning gold stater was struck at Syracuse in the context of Pyrrhos' wars against the Carthaginians. It is a true work of art in the way that it has taken the standard Athena and Nike types introduced by Alexander the Great in c. 334 BC and really run with them in terms of the high Hellenistic sculptural style and the manipulation of the details to be specific to Pyrrhus. Whereas a fairly stiff Nike usually proffers the laurel wreath of victory on traditional Alexandrine staters, here she holds the oak wreath of Zeus. This is a specific reference to the Epirote kingdom and its famous oracular shrine of Zeus at Dodona. Other issues struck at Syracuse during Pyrrhus' Sicilian campaigns also feature reverse types surrounded by oak wreaths as an allusion to their connection to the king of Epirus. Likewise, while Nike usually carries a stylus indicative of naval victory on Alexandrine staters, here she carries a trophy that directly refers to Pyrrhus' Italian campaign. The trophy includes a distinctive oblong shield which can hardly be anything but the scutum shield regularly used by Roman soldiers ever since they adopted it from the Gauls in the fourth century BC.
The obverse head of Athena also represents an artistic leap forward from the basic design of Alexander's staters, with increased modelling of the face and the addition of new details, like the tiny owl behind her head and the hound decorating the bowl of her helmet. As with the modifications to the Alexandrine reverse type, the hound also represents a means of advertising Pyrrhus and his Epirote origin. The helmet of Athena on standard Alexandrine staters is usually decorated with a coiled serpent, a griffin, sphinx, or bird, but here we find a hound. This almost certainly refers to the Epirote district of Molossis, which was famous for the hunting dogs bred there.
Stater circa 278 under Pyrrhus, AV 8.55 g. Head of Athena r., wearing triple-crested Corinthian helmet, bowl decorated with pegasus, triple-pendant earring and pearl necklace; behind, owl and beneath neck truncation, A. Rev. BAΣIΛEΩΣ – ΠYPPOY Nike alighting l., holding a wreath in her r. hand and a trophy in her l.; at her feet, on l., bucranium. BMC 1. Jameson 1124 (these dies). Gulbenkian 910 (this obverse die). Kraay-Hirmer pl. 151, 475 (these dies). AMB 522 (these dies). Buttrey, NC 1973, pl. 2, 42 (these dies).
Extremely rare and among the finest specimens in private hands. An interesting and
fascinating issue with a lovely portrait of excellent style and a finely engraved
reverse composition. An unobtrusive mark on cheek and a small edge nick at
nine o'clock on reverse, otherwise about extremely fine / extremely fine
Ex Leu 42, Zurich, 1987, 214; Leu 52, 1991, 67 and New York XXVII, 2012, Prospero 342 sales.
In 280 BC, Pyrrhus of Epirus accepted the request of Tarentum to defend it and the other cities of Magna Graecia from the expanding power of Rome. The Epirote king defeated the Romans at both at Herakleia (280 BC) and at Asculum (279 BC), but at such high cost that it became clear that if he continued to win battles in this way his army would soon be destroyed. In 278 BC, while considering his options, the Syracusans begged him to come and fight the Carthaginians who had always been at war with the Greek cities for control of Sicily. As a break from the problematic Roman war, Pyrrhos accepted this diversion and was so successful that by 277 BC he had all but driven the Carthaginians from the island and claimed the title of King of Sicily. All that remained was to expel the Punic garrison from Lilybaeum, but because of its location, the only way to do this was through a naval blockade. The only way to obtain the ships for the blockade was to obtain money from the Greek cities to build and man a proper fleet. When the cities balked at this necessity, Pyrrhus imposed his own garrisons. This development immediately destroyed the king's previous popularity in Sicily and the Greek cities began negotiating with the Carthaginians against him! Realizing that Sicily would be nothing but trouble to rule, Pyrrhus inflicted one further defeat on a new Punic army and then returned to Italy for a second round against the Romans.
This stunning gold stater was struck at Syracuse in the context of Pyrrhos' wars against the Carthaginians. It is a true work of art in the way that it has taken the standard Athena and Nike types introduced by Alexander the Great in c. 334 BC and really run with them in terms of the high Hellenistic sculptural style and the manipulation of the details to be specific to Pyrrhus. Whereas a fairly stiff Nike usually proffers the laurel wreath of victory on traditional Alexandrine staters, here she holds the oak wreath of Zeus. This is a specific reference to the Epirote kingdom and its famous oracular shrine of Zeus at Dodona. Other issues struck at Syracuse during Pyrrhus' Sicilian campaigns also feature reverse types surrounded by oak wreaths as an allusion to their connection to the king of Epirus. Likewise, while Nike usually carries a stylus indicative of naval victory on Alexandrine staters, here she carries a trophy that directly refers to Pyrrhus' Italian campaign. The trophy includes a distinctive oblong shield which can hardly be anything but the scutum shield regularly used by Roman soldiers ever since they adopted it from the Gauls in the fourth century BC.
The obverse head of Athena also represents an artistic leap forward from the basic design of Alexander's staters, with increased modelling of the face and the addition of new details, like the tiny owl behind her head and the hound decorating the bowl of her helmet. As with the modifications to the Alexandrine reverse type, the hound also represents a means of advertising Pyrrhus and his Epirote origin. The helmet of Athena on standard Alexandrine staters is usually decorated with a coiled serpent, a griffin, sphinx, or bird, but here we find a hound. This almost certainly refers to the Epirote district of Molossis, which was famous for the hunting dogs bred there.