The Obols of Syracuse

"D’altra parte, pretendere di stabilire l’anno esatto per una emissione monetale greca, priva di precisi elementi intrinseci, non è di noi mortali."
"On the other hand, to claim to establish the exact year for a Greek coinage, lacking precise intrinsic elements, is beyond us mortals."
— Professor Giacomo Manganaro, Dall'obolo alla litra e il problema del 'Damareteion'¹

The obols of Syracuse represent an important chapter in the monetary history of ancient Sicily. These small silver coins, weighing approximately 0.60-0.75 grams, served as the city's first systematic fractional currency before being superseded by the more famous litra standard around 460 BC. Long overshadowed by Syracuse's tetradrachms and dekadrachms, the obols tell a story of economic transition, political change, and monetary innovation in the 5th century BC.

For over a century, Erich Boehringer's study Die Münzen von Syrakus has provided the chronological framework for understanding these coins². However, an overstruck obol that preserves traces of an underlying Aitna issue requires a revision of the accepted sequence. By examining this overstrike alongside analysis of the Demareteion dekadrachms, we can demonstrate that the most accomplished obol issues actually predate those traditionally considered earlier. The Series XIIe "Demareteion" obols fundamentally reorder our understanding of Syracuse's monetary transition from tyranny to democracy. This revision reveals that Syracuse's most extraordinary coinage celebrated not the distant triumph at Himera, but the immediate struggles for democratic autonomy that defined the city's political rebirth.

Obol not Litra

Before examining the chronological sequence, we must address a fundamental denominational issue. Modern auction houses and catalogs routinely mislabel all small Sicilian silver coins near 0.6-0.8g as "litrae," but the coins examined here are true obols—sixth parts of the drachma rather than litrae (fifths). Syracuse adopted the Euboic-Attic standard, which "corresponds to that of the Euboean Stater and Athenian Tetradrachm," and smaller Syracusan denominations reveal that "the coinage follows the Athenian ratio of 4 drachms per stater and 6 obols per drachm"¹⁵. Weight analysis confirms this identification: Syracuse's contemporary tetradrachms weigh 17.0-17.5 grams, representing four drachmas of 4.25-4.40 grams each. The fractional coins average 0.60-0.75 grams, corresponding precisely to one-sixth of these drachma weights rather than the 0.80-0.88 grams expected for litrae.

The Traditional Boehringer Sequence

Erich Boehringer's systematic study of Syracusan coinage established the framework still used today. His analysis of die links and stylistic progression created what appeared to be a chronologically consistent sequence for the obol series. However, Boehringer worked without certain pieces of evidence that have since emerged, particularly an overstruck obol of Aitna that challenges the accepted chronology.

Series XIb & XIIa-d: The "Early" Obols

Series XI: Boehringer 286-291 (O133/R195 - O138/200)

• Obverse: Head of Arethusa facing right, wearing pearl taenia; hair brushed forward; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts
• Corresponding tetradrachms: Boehringer 268–278 (R185-191) (and earlier issues)

The Series XI obols represent the beginning of systematic fractional coinage at Syracuse. These issues feature the classic Arethusa head with pearl taenia and the distinctive four-spoked wheel reverse that would become the standard type for Syracusan small silver.

Series XIIa-d: Boehringer 362-370 (O179/252 - O187/260)

• Obverse: Head of Arethusa facing right, wearing pearl taenia; hair brushed forward; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts
• Corresponding tetradrachms: Most belong to Series XIId Boehringer 345-355 (R243-258). Few examples can be assigned to other sub-series: O179 to XII a; O185-186 to XII b; O187 to XII c.

The Series XIIa-d obols continue the established iconography but show subtle refinements in style and execution.

Series XIIe: The "Demareteion" Obols

The Series XIIe / Demareteion obols represent a significant departure from earlier issues and provide the key to understanding the true chronology of Syracuse's fractional coinage. These are the obols contemporary with the famous "Demareteion" dekadrachms.

Series XIIe: Boehringer 392–405 (O199/R277 - O209/R285)

• Obverse: Head of Arethusa facing right, wearing olive laurel wreath, circular (exception O209 crescent) earring, and simple necklace; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts; Σ-V-R-Α within the quarters.
• Corresponding dekadrachms: Boehringer 374–378 (R264-R267)

Here we see a major change: Arethusa now wears an olive laurel wreath instead of the traditional pearl taenia. The olive wreath represents victory, likely commemorating specific military successes during Syracuse's transition from tyranny to democracy. The reverse introduces the ethnic letters Σ-Υ-P-Α within the wheel's quarters, establishing a typological pattern that was copied by other Sicilian cities.

These obols are contemporary with the famous "Demareteion" dekadrachms, sharing not only chronology but purpose. Both represent extraordinary issues, likely struck as military bonuses (aristeia) rather than regular circulation coinage. The name "Demareteion" derives from Diodorus's account of a gold coin struck by Damareta, Gelon's wife, after the victory at Himera in 480 BC⁴. Traditional scholarship attempted to connect the silver dekadrachms directly to this victory, dating them to 480 BC.

This traditional dating has been significantly challenged through orthographic evidence⁵. Most conclusively, D. Knoepfler demonstrated that the dekadrachms employ kappa in their legend rather than the archaic koppa, indicating they were struck after Syracuse's "orthographic reform of Hieron" in 478 BC⁶. This orthographic evidence effectively rules out the 480 BC date, as Syracuse had not yet adopted the kappa at that time.

Building on this chronological foundation, Manganaro proposed that the dekadrachms were issued as aristeia for specific commemorative occasions within a quinquennium spanning 466-461 BC¹⁷. Diodorus condenses post-466 BC events into only two reported years. In 463 BC, he records the institution of annual Eleutheria festivals and the statue of Zeus Eleutherios⁷. In 461 BC, he describes military aristeia where "the Syracusans honored their elite troops, 600 in number, the architects of victory, awarding each a mina of silver as a prize for valor"⁸.

Since a mina equals one hundred drachmas (or ten dekadrachms)⁹, the dekadrachms would have been perfectly suited for such payments. However, these events may date earlier than Diodorus records: the aristeia possibly to 463 BC and the Eleutheria institution potentially to 465 BC. Given Diodorus's silence on 465, 464, and 462 BC, making precise dating within this quinquennium difficult to establish.

The shift from the traditional 480 BC dating has profound implications. Rather than commemorating the 480 BC victory at Himera, these extraordinary coins likely celebrate Syracuse's contemporary struggles for democratic autonomy following the end of the Deinomenid tyranny. The olive crown on Arethusa's head would thus represent not Carthaginian defeat, but victories in the civil conflicts that established democratic government.

Series XIIe: Boehringer 406–407E (O210/R286 - O210/R287E)

• Obverse: Head of Arethusa facing right, wearing pearl taenia, and simple necklace; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts; Σ-V-R-Α within the quarters.
• Corresponding dekadrachms: Boehringer 374–378 (R264-R267)

A brief final issue of obols follows the Boehringer 392-405 "Demareteion" obols, using only one obverse die paired with two reverse dies. These coins return to the traditional Arethusa iconography with pearl taenia while maintaining the ethnic-in-quarters reverse design.

These issues are extremely rare, I have been unable to find a modern example of this type.

Aitna and Syracuse

The key to understanding the true chronology of Syracuse's obol series lies in two pieces of evidence: an obol of Aitna and a Syracusan obol overstruck upon it.

Aitna Obol

• Obverse: Shrimp left; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts; A-I-T-N (ΑΙΤΝΑ) within the quarters.

Aitna was established in 475 BC by Hieron I on the site of Katane¹⁰, and its population was transferred to Inessa in 461 BC¹¹. This gives us a precise 14-year window for any Aitna coinage. The shrimp obverse type reflects the city's coastal location¹², while the reverse directly copies the wheel-with-ethnic design pioneered by Syracuse's Series XIIe / Demareteion obols.

As Manganaro observed, "L'incisore del conio dell'obolo di Aitna... doveva già conoscere l'obolo «damareteico» di Syrakousai" ("The engraver of the Aitna obol die... must already have known the 'Demareteic' obol of Syracuse")¹⁶. The Aitna engraver's adoption of the wheel-with-ethnic design establishes the chronological priority of the Series XIIe innovation. This proves that the Series XIIe obols with their ethnic-in-quarters design predated the Aitna issues, which must themselves predate 461 BC.

Overstruck Syracuse Obol

• Obverse: Head of Arethusa facing right, wearing pearl taenia; hair brushed forward; surrounded by a beaded border.
• Reverse: Four-spoked wheel with hub, single or double rim, and with struts; Traces of shrimp visible in 1st and 3rd quarters, evidence of the underlying Aitna obol

This Syracuse obol B. 365 from Series XIId was overstruck on an Aitna obol. Under careful examination, traces of the segmented body of a shrimp are clearly visible between the spokes of the Syracusan wheel.

Since the Aitna obol copied the Series XIIe ethnic-in-quarters type, and this overstruck coin shows a Series XIId obol struck over an Aitna piece, we can now arrange the sequence. The correct order is: Series XIIe → Aitna → Series XIId.

This overstrike likely occurred around or after 461 BC, when Aitna's population was transferred to Inessa and the mint closed. The Aitna obol was probably produced shortly before this resettlement, meaning mint workers may have brought available Aitna obols back to Syracuse in 461 BC, where they were subsequently overstruck for the final XIId series.

This overstrike evidence challenges Boehringer's original sequence, which placed Series XIIe after XIId. Since XIId obols were struck over Aitna pieces, and Aitna copied the XIIe ethnic-in-quarters type, Series XIIe must be chronologically prior to both Aitna and XIId. Combined with the historical context of Syracuse's democratic transition and the Demareteion dating controversy, this numismatic evidence supports a revised chronological framework for these transitional issues.

The Revised Sequence

Boehringer's traditional chronology placed the Series XIIe "Demareteion" obols after the Series XIId issues, but the overstrike evidence shows this sequence is incorrect. The Syracuse obol B. 365 from Series XIId was struck over an Aitna obol, while Aitna had copied Syracuse's ethnic-in-quarters wheel design from the Series XIIe issues. This establishes the sequence XIIe → Aitna → XIId, reversing Boehringer's original framework.

This revision aligns with G.K. Jenkins' earlier proposal to place Series XIIa-d after Series XIIe¹³, and Jenkins' support for a circa 465 BC dating of the Demareteion dekadrachms¹⁴. Following Jenkins' framework, the Series XIIa-c obols can be positioned between the XIIe/"Demareteion" issues and the final XIId series, representing a return to regular circulation coinage as Syracuse stabilized its new democratic institutions. The numismatic evidence now supports a chronological framework that better reflects Syracuse's political upheavals during the transition from tyranny to democracy:

1. Series XIb obols (B 286-291) circa 470-466 BC

• Emergence of the obol system during Hieron I's declining power

2. Series XIIe / Demareteion obols (B 392-407E) circa 466-463/1 BC

• Extraordinary military bonuses (aristeia) following Thrasybulus' overthrow
• Celebrated Syracuse's expulsion of the xenoi (foreign mercenaries) and establishment of democratic government

3. Aitna obols circa 463/1-461 BC

• Adopted Syracuse's ethnic-in-quarters design, confirming XIIe chronological priority
• Terminus ante quem of 461 BC when Aitna population transferred to Inessa

4. Series XIIa-c obols (B 362-370) circa 463-461 BC

• Return to regular circulation coinage, roughly contemporary with Aitna obols
• Traditional Arethusa iconography without ethnic letters in wheel quarters

5. Series XIId obols (B 362-370) circa 461-460 BC

• Final obol issues before transition to litra system
• Syracuse obol B. 365 overstruck on Aitna obol confirms this latest dating

Conclusion

The evidence presented here revises our understanding of Syracuse's monetary transition during the decade from 470-460 BC. By establishing the correct chronological sequence through overstrike analysis and confirming the denominational identity of these issues as obols rather than litrae, we can better understand these coins within the context of Syracuse's political transformation.

The revised chronology places the Series XIIe "Demareteion" obols as extraordinary military bonuses (aristeia) that likely commemorated Syracuse's struggles for democratic independence. Rather than celebrating the victory at Himera in 480 BC, as traditional scholarship maintained, these coins may honor victories over the xenoi (foreign mercenaries) and oligarchic remnants who resisted the constitutional order established after Thrasybulus's overthrow in 466 BC.

The overstrike evidence demonstrates that Boehringer's traditional sequence requires modification. The Series XIId obol struck over an Aitna piece establishes chronological priority for the Series XIIe issues, since Aitna copied the XIIe ethnic-in-quarters design. Combined with D. Knoepfler's orthographic evidence for post-478 BC dating of the Demareteion dekadrachms and Diodorus's accounts of Syracuse's military rewards and democratic celebrations during the quinquennium of 466-461 BC, this evidence supports dating these extraordinary coins to the 460s BC rather than 480 BC.

The Syracuse obols of 470-460 BC thus document both monetary evolution and political revolution. In Professor Manganaro's words, while establishing exact years for ancient coinage "non è di noi mortali," the relative chronology established here provides a foundation for understanding this significant period of political and economic transformation.

Corresponding Tetradrachms and Dekadrachms (Reverses)▼

Below are the reverse types of the tetradrachm and dekadrachm groups that correspond to the Syracusan obols.

Boehringer 268–278 (R185–191)

Corresponding to Series XI obols

Boehringer 345–355 (R243–258)

Corresponding to Series XIIa-d obols

Boehringer 374–378 (R264–267) - the "Demareteion" Dekadrachms

Corresponding to Series XIIe obols