v24_0047 - SICILY - TYNDARIS Litra, (MB, Æ 21)

SICILY - TYNDARIS

(4th - 3rd century BC)

Tyndaris, located on the northeast coast of Sicily, was founded in 396 BC by Dionysius of Syracuse from populations made up of mercenaries and Messenian emigrants. The city received the episeme of the father of the Dioscuri whose cult is attested in the region. The victory of Dionysius won over the Carthaginians of Magon in 393 BC allowed Tyndaris to claim part of the territory of Abaceno, its neighbor. The city seems to have been linked militarily to Syracuse. Threatened by the Memertines after the conquest of Messina, it was once again saved by its ally, in the person of Hiero II in 269 BC. The city constituted a defensive position for the Carthaginians, allies of Syracuse during the first war Punic. During the Second Punic War, she was a faithful ally of Rome.