287-279 BCE
AE Onkia 2.82g, 14mm
Laureate head of Apollo left. ΑΚΡΑΓΑΝΤOΣ
Eagle standing right, head left, ΦI above
Calciati 119
Akragas, now known as Agrigento, was one of the leading cities of ancient Greece. Some ancient historians stated it contained 200,000 to 800,000 people, though most modern historians believe it was far fewer and in the neighborhood of 20,000 to 40,000, which was still a very large city for the time.
Akragas stayed neutral during Athens’ attack of Syracuse, but it was sacked by Carthage in 406 BCE and never quite recovered.
This coin was minted during the time when Phintias, a tyrant, took control after Agathokles of Syracuse, who had earlier controlled the city, died. In 262 BCE, Akragas was besieged by the Romans and taken. Its population was then sold into slavery, but later became an important city in the Roman Empire.