Agathokles of Syracuse AE21, Artemis Soteira / Thunderbolt, 306–289 BC

Agathokles, AE21, bronze, reign 306–289 BC, struck at Syracuse 306–289 BC, 7.50 g, 21 mm. ΣΩTEIPA; draped bust of Artemis Soteira right, quiver over shoulder. AΓAΘOKΛEOΣ BAΣIΛEOΣ; winged thunderbolt horizontally. Struck at the Syracuse mint on a slightly irregular flan, generally well centered; die axis about 6h. CNS II 142; SNG ANS 708; HGC 2, 1537.

Agathokles, who ruled Syracuse and later adopted the royal title basileus, was a central figure in the wars against Carthage and in the early Hellenistic politics of the western Greek world. His bronze coinage formed the everyday currency of the Kingdom of Syracuse. The obverse legend names Artemis with the epithet Soteira (“Savior”), a deity closely associated with civic protection at Syracuse, while the thunderbolt and royal legend on the reverse advertise his kingship, making this series among the earliest western Greek coins to bear a formal royal title.