Silver dekadrachm (42.68 g) of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse from 405 to 367 BCE. Minted between 404 and 390, this coin is a rare case in which we know the artist -- Euainetos, who signed his name on the reverse die.
On the obverse, a charioteer is driving a quadriga (four-horse chariot), using a kentron (goad) to spur the horses on. The goddess of victory, Nike, flies above and crowns the charioteer. Beneath a heavy exergual line, we see an Attic-style panoply (shield, greaves, cuirass, and helmet) connected by a spear, with the letters AΘΛA ("contests"). This design reflects Dionysius' sponsorship of chariots at the various Panhellenic games, a tradition he inherited from prior tyrants of Syracuse, as well as his military ambitions.
The reverse bears the head of the river-nymph Arethusa. The Greeks believed that the river Arethusa began in the Peloponnese and flowed underground until reaching Sicily. They explained this with a myth in which Arethusa dived underground to escape pursuit by the river god Alpheus. Around Arethusa are four dolphins, symbolizing both her passage through the sea and the maritime focus of Syracuse (Dionysius expanded her navy, and she was a major mercantile power as well).
Photo credit: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http://www.cngcoins.com
