HIERON II w/ Posiedon, Trident & Dolphins, Syracuse, Sicily, c3rd BC Greek Coin

Description

ANCIENT GREEK COIN
Hieron II
was the Greek Sicilian king of Syracuse from 270-215 B.C.
As commander of the Syracuse army, he successfully led his forces against the Romans in the First Punic War in 275 B.C.
Grateful citizens made him king in 270; however, the Romans prevailed in 263 at which time he made a treaty with Rome and continued as king of eastern Sicily.
He remained loyal to Rome for the remaining Punic wars.
One of his advisors was the famed Archimedes of Syracuse, whom history calls one of the great mathematicians of all time.
Poseidon/Neptune
Neptune was the Roman god of water and the sea who had evolved in Roman religion from the earlier Greek god,
Poseidon (
Ποσειδῶν)
.
The Greeks also called him “Earth-Shaker” because they thought he had a role in causing earthquakes.
He is usually depicted as an older male deity with curly hair and a beard.
His symbols included a trident, fish, dolphin, horse and bull. In the city of Rome, Neptune was worshipped in two temples, one of which was erected in honor of Octavian’s defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in the great sea battle at Actium. To this day, many navies and sea-faring entities, perform a ceremony for “pollywogs” (seamen crossing the equator for the first time).
Some traditional ceremonies include interrogation by “King Neptune” after which the initiates become “Sons of Neptune”.
This coin was minted in the ancient city of
Syracuse, Sicily
located on the southeastern corner of the island of Sicily.  This 2700 year-old region was often one of the major powers in the ancient Mediterranean.  It started as city-state during Greek times, founded in about 733 BC by Greek settlers from Corith and Tenaea. but later became part of the Roman Republic and Byzantine Empire.  According to the Hercules myth, when on his trip throughout the island of Sicily, he stopped in Syracuse and instructed the natives to sacrifice bulls in the name of Kore (Persephone).
The Altar of Zeus, the largest sacrificial altar built in antiquity, was constructed in the third century B.C. It was so massive it could accommodate up to 450 sacrificed bulls at one time.
The city today is called Siracusa with a population of about 125,000.  Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it features archeological treasures and architecture from Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Christian periods.
Here are this coin's attributes:
HIERON II AE  (19-20 mm, 6.38 gm)
OBV:    Diademed head of Poseidon left
REV:    IEΡΩ-NOΣ, trident head, with scrolls decoration between prongs; lotiform shaft, flanked by dolphins
Syracuse, Sicily mint     BMC 530      274-216 B.C.
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