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Æ19 - Antoninus Pius ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ
| Issuer | Argos (Achaea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 138-161 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 19 mm |
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| Reverse description | A river-god reclines to the left in the typical Hellenistic personification convention, his semi-nude figure supported on a overturned water-urn from which water flows, symbolising a local watercourse associated with the territory of Argos. He holds a long reed in one hand, a standard attribute of river deities in Greek provincial coinage. The figure is rendered in a relaxed, reclining posture with drapery across the lower body. The ethnic legend ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ appears in the field, identifying this as a civic issue of the Argives. The surface shows considerable wear and green patination typical of bronze provincial coinage of the Antonine period. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΑΡΓΕΙωΝ (Translation: of the Argives) |
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| Additional information |
Argos maintained active bronze production under Antoninus Pius largely because the city retained genuine civic pride in its antiquity — it claimed to be the oldest city in Greece, a boast that imperial-era coinage helped sustain as local propaganda. The Achaean cities were permitted to strike bronze for purely local circulation during this period, a privilege that depended on remaining politically cooperative with Rome.
The reference IV.1#813 places this among the Peloponnesian civic issues catalogued by the Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum series.