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| Issuer | Comana (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 37-41 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Radiate head of Caligula facing right, depicted in the Hellenistic tradition with short radiating spikes emanating from the crown of the head. The portrait is rendered in a provincial style characteristic of Pontic civic coinage of the early Imperial period. The heavily worn flan exhibits the irregular, hand-struck character typical of hammered bronze issues from this region. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Comana Pontica was one of the great temple cities of the ancient world, its economy built around the sanctuary of Ma (identified by Romans with Bellona) and the thousands of hierodouloi — sacred servants — attached to the cult. The city gained the right to strike bronze coinage under Roman provincial authority, and issues under Caligula reflect the brief window between his accession and the administrative reorganization of Pontus under Claudius, when local civic coinage of this region effectively ceased.