Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ18 - Caligula ΦΙΛΟΚΑΙϹΑΡ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΕΩΝ ΖΗΝΩΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΕΥϹ
| Issuer | Philadelphia (Conventus of Sardis) |
|---|---|
| Year | 37-41 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A Capricorn — the zodiacal emblem of Augustus adopted as an imperial symbol — depicted facing left in the central field, with a cornucopia balanced upon its back, referencing dynastic continuity and divine favor. The multi-line Greek inscription surrounds and fills the field, citing the civic epithet ΦΙΛΟΚΑΙϹΑΡ (friend of Caesar) alongside the city name ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΕΩΝ and the name and title of the local magistrate ΖΗΝΩΝ ΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΕΥϹ (Zenon, grammateus or secretary). The design is typical of Lydian civic bronze coinage issued under Roman provincial administration. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Philadelphia in Lydia was among the most enthusiastically pro-Julio-Claudian cities in the province of Asia, and its civic epithet ΦΙΛΟΚΑΙϹΑΡ — "Caesar-lover" — was not merely formulaic flattery. The city had cultivated its loyalty to Rome since the reign of Augustus, and local magistrates competed for the honor of attaching their names to imperial bronze issues. Zenon, named here as grammateus, held a secretarial civic office whose prestige was considerable enough to warrant permanent commemoration in bronze.
RPC I 2985 is a modestly rare type within the Philadelphia civic series under Caligula.