Ancients: Sicily, Akragas. Ca. 482-472 B.C. AR didrachm,...

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Sicily, Akragas. Ca. 482-472 B.C. AR didrachm, (20 mm, 8.81 g, 5 h). Eagle with folded wings standing right / Crab; below, barley grain. Jenkins grp. IV, 15; SNG ANS 956 (same dies). XF, old collection toning.

Akragas was founded by sellers from Gela in the sixth century B.C. Thanks to its excellent location it quickly grew to become one of the most famous and wealthy cities of Greek Sicily. The city was ruled by a series of tyrants in the sixth and early fifth centuries B.C., including Phalaris, who was infamous for roasting his political enemies alive in a brazen bull. In the later fifth century B.C., Akragas established a democratic constitution, but in 406 B.C. the city was sacked by the Carthaginians. The coinage of Akragas prominently features the crab, commonly found on the beaches of southern Sicily, and the eagle, emblematic of the god Zeus.