Tarsos, the principal city of Cilicia, operated under a complex succession of overlords during this period — Seleucid, then briefly independent, then absorbed into the expanding Roman provincial system. The city retained substantial autonomy and continued issuing civic bronze long after Rome effectively controlled the region, a privilege extended selectively to cities of commercial and administrative importance. Tarsos was both: a major Mediterranean trading hub and, eventually, the capital of Cilicia province. The SNG Levante reference traces to the collection assembled by Edward Levante, whose Cilician holdings remain a primary corpus for the series.
Tarsos, the principal city of Cilicia, operated under a complex succession of overlords during this period — Seleucid, then briefly independent, then absorbed into the expanding Roman provincial system. The city retained substantial autonomy and continued issuing civic bronze long after Rome effectively controlled the region, a privilege extended selectively to cities of commercial and administrative importance. Tarsos was both: a major Mediterranean trading hub and, eventually, the capital of Cilicia province. The SNG Levante reference traces to the collection assembled by Edward Levante, whose Cilician holdings remain a primary corpus for the series.