Poseidon | Quadrans | Retrograde | Shield | Spear | Trident | Warrior
Sicily, Solous
Circa 200-150 BCE
AE Tetras or Quadrans 5.00g, 17mm
Obv: wreathed head of Poseidon right, trident over shoulder.
Rev: ΣΟΛONTINΩN (retrograde) warrior advancing left, holding shield and spear.
Campana 27; BAR Issue 6; CNS 21

Today, the ruins of Solous are a tourist attraction in Sicily, though not as famous as those of Akragas, Segesta, and Selinos. It was originally a Phoenician colony, but became independent when the eastern Phoenicians were conquered by the Persians in 539 BCE. It later came under Carthaginian and Greek influence before surrendering to the Romans in 250 BCE. Under them, the city prospered, and most of the ruins visible today are from that era. By the 1st century CE, the city was in decline.

396 BCE

Solous betrayed to Dionysios I of Syracuse and destroyed

307 BCE

Solous handed over to mercenaries loyal to Agathokles

250 BCE

Solous surrenders to the Romans