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Æ17 - Gordian III ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Smyrna (Ionia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 238-244 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Turreted bust of the Amazon Smyrna, eponymous founder of the city, facing left, wearing a mural crown; a double axe is carried over the right shoulder. The legend ϹΜΥΡΝΑ appears in the field, identifying the civic personification. The portrait is rendered in the conventional provincial style of the Severan-Gordian period, with detailed drapery visible at the shoulder. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Smyrna was among the most aggressively competitive cities in the province of Asia when it came to imperial honorifics, having fought a long municipal rivalry with Ephesus and Pergamon over the title of "first city." Coins issued under Gordian III from Smyrna reflect that civic ambition — the city held the prestigious neokoros status multiple times, and local bronze issues served the politics of that standing as much as they served commerce.
Gordian III became emperor at thirteen, elevated by a Praetorian revolt that destroyed Philip the Arab's predecessor Timisitheus — though Timisitheus himself later died in office as Gordian's own praetorian prefect. The reign was short and ended badly on the Persian frontier in 244.