Æ21 - Claudius V VIII

Berytus — modern Beirut — held an unusual status in the Roman east as a fully constituted Roman colony, staffed heavily by veterans of the fifth and eighth legions settled there by Augustus. That military foundation gave the city the right to strike colonial bronze coinage in Roman formats, a privilege most Syrian cities did not enjoy. Issues under Claudius reflect a municipality that was, administratively, a piece of Rome transplanted to the Levantine coast.