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Æ18 - Vespasian ΚΩΙΩΝ
| Issuer | City of Cos (Kos), Conventus of Halicarnassus, Roman Province of Asia |
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| Year | 69-79 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.71 g |
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| Obverse description | Bare laureate head of Emperor Vespasian facing right, rendered in the provincial style typical of Dodecanesian civic bronzes of the Flavian period. The portrait displays the characteristic broad features and strong jaw associated with Vespasianic iconography. The Greek legend ΟΥΕϹΠΑϹΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΟϹ (Vespasian Augustus) is disposed around the effigy in the field. The flan is irregular and the surfaces exhibit typical patination consistent with circulation wear. |
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| Obverse lettering | ΟΥΕϹΠΑϹΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒΑϹΤΟϹ (Translation: Vespasian Augustus) |
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| Additional information |
Kos enjoyed a privileged status under the Julio-Claudians — Claudius had formally exempted the island from taxation, a concession tied to the influence of his personal physician Xenophon, a native of Kos. Whether that exemption held under Vespasian, who aggressively rationalised provincial finances after the civil wars of 69, is unclear. The city's decision to strike civic bronze in his name suggests at minimum a functional relationship with the new Flavian administration.
Cos minted sporadically under the empire, and the conventus of Halicarnassus was among the less prolific issuing jurisdictions in Asia.