Athens struck remarkably few civic bronzes during the sole reign of Gallienus, a period when the city was still recovering from the catastrophic Herulian sack of 267 AD — one of the most destructive events in the ancient city's post-classical history. The Heruli raided deep into Greece, looting Athens and leaving archaeological evidence of burning across the Agora. How many of these coins predate that sack and how many postdate it remains difficult to establish with confidence.
Athens struck remarkably few civic bronzes during the sole reign of Gallienus, a period when the city was still recovering from the catastrophic Herulian sack of 267 AD — one of the most destructive events in the ancient city's post-classical history. The Heruli raided deep into Greece, looting Athens and leaving archaeological evidence of burning across the Agora. How many of these coins predate that sack and how many postdate it remains difficult to establish with confidence.