Sardes had been the administrative capital of the Roman province of Asia since 133 BC, when Attalus III bequeathed his kingdom to Rome — making this a civic bronze issued under that long provincial settlement. The city retained considerable autonomy to strike its own coinage throughout the period, the magistrate's name (the *krithophoros* reference embedded in the type) appearing as a mark of local civic pride rather than Roman imposition.
BMC Lydia 100–101 covers a narrow die range; specimens frequently show uneven flans from the local workshop's casting practices.
Sardes had been the administrative capital of the Roman province of Asia since 133 BC, when Attalus III bequeathed his kingdom to Rome — making this a civic bronze issued under that long provincial settlement. The city retained considerable autonomy to strike its own coinage throughout the period, the magistrate's name (the *krithophoros* reference embedded in the type) appearing as a mark of local civic pride rather than Roman imposition.
BMC Lydia 100–101 covers a narrow die range; specimens frequently show uneven flans from the local workshop's casting practices.