Æ21 - Septimius Severus ϹΑΜΙωΝ

Samos passed to Roman provincial administration as part of the conventus of Miletus, under which local civic bronzes like this one were produced with considerable autonomy — the island retained the right to strike in its own name throughout the Severan period. Issues attributable to Septimius Severus from Samos are relatively scarce compared to output from the mainland Ionian cities, likely reflecting the island's reduced commercial standing by the late second century.