Il tetradrammo di Aitna nel contesto dell'arte di stile severo

This paper deals with the well-known tetradrachm bearing Silenos/Zeus Aitnaios, struck in the name of the inhabitants of Aitna in the first half of the 5th century BC. Around 475 BC, Hieron took the city of Katane, changing its name to Aitna, deporting its ancient inhabitants and peopling it with Syracusans. After the tyrant's death, the old inhabitants got back, drove out the Aetnaeans and the city regained its original name. The Aetnaeans moved to Inessa, which was renamed Aitna. In the absence of any archaeological data and due to the high artistic value of the coin, its minting has always been linked to a special event. Thus, the Aitna tetradrachm has been alternatively dated 475 BC (foundation of Katane-Aitna) or 461 BC (foundation of Inessa-Aitna). The low chronology is strongly based on the similarity with another well-known coin type produced in Naxos around 460 BC. The paper analyses the coin from different points of view, taking into account the numismatic, political and artistic issues and trying to widen perspective to the whole context to. In conclusion, the tetradrachm seems to be part of the coin production that took place in Katane-Aitna during the reign of Hieron