SICILY, Leontinoi
AE23. 14.31g, 22.8mm
MINTED: SICILY, Leontinoi, after 210 BC
REF: CNS 21; HGC 2, 715 (R1)
OBVERSE: Laureate and draped bust of Artemis right, with quiver over shoulder.
REVERSE: ΛΕΟΝΤΙΝ-ΩΝ, Demeter standing left, holding grain ears and torch; plow at bottom left.
 
Grade/Notes:
Fine. Earthy, dark green patina.
A scarce type, struck following the end of the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire, when several cities on the island of Sicily became tributaries of Rome.  Leontinoi, as one of these cities, was required to send one tenth of its annual grain harvest to Rome.  

Historical Notes:
Leontinoi was a Greek settlement founded around 729 BC about 6 miles inland from the coast of eastern Sicily by colonists from Naxos.  The city was surrounded by rich agricultural lands, from which it prospered and grew wealthy.  Yet, Leontinoi would often find itself in conflict with its more powerful neighbour, Syracuse.  Time and time again through its history, the city would find itself devastated and depopulated through wars, following which it would be rebuilt and resettled.  In 236 BC, it was part of the kingdom of Hieron II of Syracuse, before Sicily became engulfed in the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) between Rome and Carthage.  Thereafter, Leontinoi became a tributary city of Rome, though its time of historical significance was over.