Monete in strato. Esempi dalla polis di Naxos di Sicilia

La colonia calcidese di Naxos di Sicilia, sede di una zecca monetale sin dall’età arcaica, ha restituito nel tempo numerose testimonianze monetali di epoche diverse e di diversa provenienza geografica sia sotto forma di ripostiglio sia come rinvenimenti da scavo. Un buon numero di questi provengono da stratigrafie di cui sono stati studiati o sono in corso di studio i contesti, pertanto sia il materiale numismatico sia quello archeologico - in particolar modo ceramico - risultano sicuramente utili reciprocamente ai fini della determinazione cronologica. In particolare alcuni casi dall’abitato di V secolo a.C. sono sembrati significativi per un approccio “contestuale” alla numismatica, che si avvale delle appropriate competenze nello studio dei singoli materiali finalizzato ad una ricostruzione storica globale, che tenga conto delle diverse realtà desunte dall’evidence archeologica. The collection of archaic and classical Greek coins from Naxos is important from any point of view. A total of slightly more than 300 items from the excavations carried out from 1984 to 2006, mainly dating from the fifth century BC, for the major part in silver and of small value. This paper analyze two samples from the city area, and more particularly from the northern and the eastern quarters, both in proximity of the agora as recently localized close to the dockyards and the harbour.. Naxos was the first Greek colony in Sicily, founded in 734 BC by settlers from Chalcis in Euboea and Naxos in the Cyclades. It lies on the east coast, south of Messina, at a natural landing-point on the route used by ships sailing west to Sicily from Greece. It was destroyed in 403 BC by Dionysius of Syracuse. Its destruction was definitive: the main urban centre from the fourth century BC onwards was a new foundation, Tauromenion, across the bay to the north. The site of the ancient city of Naxos (now in large part a protected site) extends to the south of the modern centre of Giardini Naxos. It was situated on the promontory of Schisò to and comprises an area of ca 40 hectares between the Santa Venera river to the west and the wide bay to the east that became the colony’s harbour, as confirmed by the recently excavated Neoria complex. Systematic archaeological explorations of the site began in 1953. Two superimposed urban layouts were found: the earlier plan dating mid-seventh century BC; the latter is an orthogonal plan dating around 470 BC. Within the area bounded already by the Archaic city walls, sufficient remains of the city have been found to establish its modular grid. The coins presented in the current paper were found in the fifth century city levels.