Sicily, Leontinoi, Tetradrachm

This tetradrachm was issued in the 5th century BC in the Sicilian town of Leontinoi. It depicts a quadriga, a chariot pulled by four horses. This was the traditional coin motif of the city of Syracuse, under whose authority Leontinoi stood.

The reverse shows a lion's head surrounded by four ears of barley. The ears symbolized the fertility of the Leontinian lands, while the lion was a pun on the city's name ('leon' is Greek for lion).