Arethusa / Octopus
Syracuse (Sicily) - Litra
Description
Obverse: Head of Arethusa left, wearing triple-pendant earring, necklace, ampyx and sphendone; in right field, barley grain.
Reverse: Octopus
One of 4 known. Listed in Kreutzer's Syrakusische Drachmen und Kleinsilbermünzen as Litra 6.1. This die is unsigned but often attributed to Eukleidas. No known samples have the EV on the ampyx, but it doesn't eliminate the possibility the dies were engraved by Eukleidas and the signature wore off in the centuries after. This litra is additionally distinguished by it's triple-pendant earring, one of the first uses of the oft replicated earring from Syracuse.
Details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Composition | Silver |
| Issuer | Syracuse |
| Ruling Authority | Second Democracy (466 BC - 405 BC) |
| Period of Issue | 415 BC - 405 BC |
| Weight | 0.87 g |
| Diameter | 11 mm |
| Orientation | ↑↑ 11h |
| Denomination | 1 Litra |
| Standard | Sicilian Litra |
| References | Kreutzer Kleinsilbermünzen #Litra 6 (6.1, this coin) |
Provenance
| Location | Description | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Art Coins Roma (now Bertolami Fine Arts), Auction 12 - Lot 195 | Oct 29, 2014 |
| Germany | Unknown G&M 310 Consignor (fellow Syracusan fractional fan) | - |
| Germany | Gorny & Mosch, Auction 310 - Lot 75 | Mar 2, 2025 |
| United States | Lelouch Collection | Current |