Æ18 - Septimius Severus ΕΡΥΘΡΑΙωΝ

Erythrae, a coastal polis on the Ionian peninsula opposite Chios, held the rare distinction of claiming the Sibyl Herophile as a native daughter — a boast the city leveraged aggressively in its civic coinage. Under Septimius Severus, provincial mints throughout the Conventus of Smyrna ramped production sharply, partly to meet the financial demands of his protracted civil wars against Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus between 193 and 197. Erythrae's output during this reign is modest in surviving numbers, with most recorded specimens showing considerable surface roughness consistent with the alloy composition common to smaller Ionian civic bronzes of the period.