Speaker
Description
Male and female figures depicted standing in front of an altar and making a sacrifice are one of the main features in the coinage of Greek Sicily. Typically the female figures are shown holding a phiale, but on the first litrae minted at Entella (440-430 BC) the female figure appears holding a temple key in her other hand.
These litrae issued by Entella are the only ancient Greek coins with an image of a female figure bearing a key. Consequently, a study of this iconography made in conjunction with evidence from archaeology (because of the lack of references to this polis in the written sources) is made to determine the meaning of this iconographic depiction and the local cults, since the deities who appear related to the title of “Kleidouchos” (understood as “key-bearer”) are Persephone, Hekate, Cybele, Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena, Hera and Apollo.
