Messana - AR Tetradrachm
Obverse
Name/Title
Messana - AR TetradrachmEntry/Object ID
C2020-G83-531Description
A coin celebrating the victory of the tyrant Anaxilas in the mule race at the Olympic Games.Context
Messana, a Greek city-state established in Sicily during the 8th century BCE, was among the first cities to mint coinage on the island. The city-state was originally called Zankle, the Sicel word for sickle, thanks to the sickle-shaped curve of its harbor. However, in 489 BCE, Anaxilas, the tyrant of Rhegion, seized Zankle and renamed the city-state Messana. This coin features a biga (two-horse chariot) drawn by mules on the reverse and a leaping hare on the obverse. Anaxilas won a victory in the mule team race at the Olympic Games in 484 or 480 BCE, and to celebrate his victory he minted coins depicting a mule-drawn chariot. The olive leaf beneath the chariot further alludes to this victory. Even after the fall of his tyranny in 466 BCE, Messana retained the hare and biga on its coinage. The presence of the hare on this coinage is unclear. Aristotle reported that Anaxilas was the first to introduce the hare into Sicily for the sport of hunting, so perhaps the hare appears for this reason. Alternatively, the hare could also be alluding simply to the speed of Anaxilas's chariot when he won his victory at Olympia.Collection
Archaic GreeceMintage
Mint
MessanaDate made
480 BCE - 462 BCETime Period
ArchaicPlace of Origin
City
MessanaRegion
SicilyManufacture Method
StruckCoin Details
Obverse
Description
Hare running, right. Border of dots.Transcription
ME(two backwards Σ)E N [ION]Translation
Of/belonging to the Messanians.Reverse
Description
Biga of mules, right, crowned by flying Nike, driven by bearded male charioteer, olive-leaf below. Border of dots.Issuing Authority
MessanaDenomination
AR TetradrachmEthnography
Cultural Region
Region
SicilyCulture/Tribe
Greek