Sicily, Syracuse. 344–317 BC. AR Stater

Sicily, Syracuse. Timoleon and the Third Democracy, 344–317 BC. AR Stater (22 mm, 8.45 g). Obv. Pegasos flying left. Rev. ΣYPAKOΣIΩN, head of Athena right, wearing Corinthian helmet. Pegasi 2; HGC 2, 1400; SNG ANS 494–507. Rare. Sharply struck and nicely toned. About extremely fine / extremely fine. Struck under Timoleon and the restored democracy, this stater reflects the political and artistic renewal of Syracuse after decades of tyranny and Carthaginian pressure. The flying Pegasos, borrowed from the Corinthian coinage tradition, signals the close historical and colonial ties between Syracuse and Corinth, Timoleon’s mother city. The reverse shows a refined head of Athena in a crested Corinthian helmet, rendered in a confident late classical style that combines clarity of line with quiet strength. These staters formed part of the revitalised civic coinage that accompanied Timoleon’s reforms and the brief resurgence of Syracusan power in the central Mediterranean.