Tauromenion, Sicily Æ19 358-275 BCE 

• -350 
• Greece (ancient) 
• AE 21 
• Ancient Greece before 146 B.C. 

7255201

Coins

Tauromenion, Sicily Æ19 358-275 BCE

-350

Apollo, Goden

6.5

19

TAUROM - ENITAN

[ARCAGET]AS

Calciati III pg. 216, 16; SNG Copenhagen 923; SNG ANS 1129, BMC 37, SNG Cop 939

Obv; TAUROM-ENITAN, tripod-lebes Rev; [ARCAGET]AS, laureate head of Apollo or Dionysis left, long hair falling over neck Even before the Greeks arrived, to found a town called Naxos, on the Sicilian coast near Messina (near the boot tip) in 734 BC, the area around Taormina was inhabited by the Siculi. Tauromenion was founded by colonists from Naxos and grew rapidly, such that Timoleon's expedition in 345 BCE first landed there, having eluded the vigilance of the Carthaginians, who were guarding the Straits of Messina. The city was at that time still under the government of Andromachus, who welcomed Timoleon, and afforded him a secure resting place until he was enabled to carry out his plans in other parts of Sicily. And, when Timoleon expelled other Sicily rulers, Andromachus was allowed to remain in a position of power undisturbed till his death. Tauromenium probably passed under the authority of Agathocles, and later Tyndarion, who invited Pyrrhus into Sicily (278 BC). And when Pyrrhus landed with his army at Tauromenium, he joined him with all his forces, and supported him in his march upon Syracuse. A few years later Tauromenium had fallen into the power of Hieron II of Syracuse, and was employed by him as a stronghold in the war against the Mamertines. (Id. p. 497.) It was also one of the cities which was left under his dominion by the treaty concluded with him by the Romans in 263 BCE.