In ancient Sicily, silver litrae were popular coins of everyday life. They equaled one tenth of a Corinthian stater, the so-called Pegasus stater. Those Pegasus staters were the most common trade coins within the Corinthian sphere of interest, which included Sicily and southern Italy.
The silver litrae of Syracuse featured a polyp on one face. This made them easily distinguishable from obols – just as popular everyday coins equaling a twelfth of a stater and bearing a wheel.
The obverse of the Syracuse small coins always showed the head of the nymph Arethusa.