Sicily is deservedly said to be the home of the most beautiful Greek coins. This tetradrachm was minted in the ancient town of Leontinoi, today's Lentini. It bears the head of the city god Apollo on the obverse. The reverse depicts a lion's head with four ears of barley. The lion was Apollo's sacred animal and, at the same time, a literal allusion to the town's name (Greek 'leon' means 'lion'). The ears of barley refer to the location of Leonini on the edge of a fertile plain.