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Amphipolis retained its mint through the early decades of Roman provincial organization largely because of its strategic value — the city sat astride the Strymon River crossing on the Via Egnatia, the primary land route connecting Rome's eastern provinces. Bronze issues of this period reflect the city's autonomy under Roman oversight, a status granted in part due to Amphipolis having opened its gates to Aemilius Paullus after Pydna in 168 BC without resistance. That calculated surrender bought the city privileges other Macedonian centers lost entirely.