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3 Argyroi - Ousanas I
| Issuer | Kingdom of Aksum |
|---|---|
| Year | 325-345 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Argyros |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of King Ousanas facing right, wearing a headcloth, set within two concentric inner circles. The royal legend is divided by the effigy on either side. The inscription in Greek characters runs along the periphery of the coin, identifying the ruler. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Ousanas I ruled Aksum during a period of intense contact with the Roman world, and his silver issues reflect that engagement — the adoption of gilded inlay on royal coin portraits was an Aksumite innovation with no precedent in Mediterranean coinage. Whether his reign overlapped with or immediately preceded Ezana's conversion to Christianity remains disputed; the chronology of fourth-century Aksumite rulers is still being refined through die studies and stratigraphic finds rather than written records.