Ancient Greek Bronze Coin from Camarina (Classical Greek City in Sicily)

Bronze trias (3.64g) struck at Camarina, a Greek colony on the southern coast of Sicily, during the turbulent closing years of the Peloponnesian War. Dated to approximately 413–405 BCE, this small denomination was issued in a period when Sicilian cities were caught between the competing ambitions of Athens, Syracuse, and Carthage.

The obverse features a facing Gorgon (Medusa), her serpentine hair radiating outward in dramatic form. The Gorgon served as an apotropaic symbol — a protective image intended to ward off evil and safeguard the city during uncertain times. The reverse depicts an owl standing right with head facing, clutching a lizard, accompanied by the ethnic inscription KAMA and three pellets indicating the trias value (one-third unit). While the owl evokes broader Greek symbolism, including associations with wisdom and vigilance, its specific combination with the lizard reflects local iconographic tradition.

This bronze trias functioned as everyday small change in the markets of Camarina. Minted shortly after the disastrous Athenian Sicilian Expedition (413 BCE), the coin belongs to the city’s final years of relative autonomy before Carthaginian dominance reshaped the region.

A compact yet evocative piece, this trias captures the resilience and identity of a Sicilian Greek city navigating the storms of classical warfare.