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Æ22 - Caracalla Antioch

Issuer Antioch on the Orontes
Year 198-217
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Composition Bronze
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Obverse description Laureate head of Emperor Caracalla facing right, rendered in the provincial style characteristic of the Antiochene mint. The laureate wreath is rendered with individual leaf details visible despite heavy patination. The portrait displays the youthful to mature features associated with Caracalla's reign, with the neck truncation at the lower field. The surface carries a thick green patina consistent with long burial in Syrian soil.
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Mintage ND (198-217)
Additional information

Antioch was the third-largest city in the Roman Empire and the administrative capital of Syria Coele, which made it a prolific source of provincial bronze throughout the Severan period. Caracalla visited the city in 215 AD and subsequently massacred a significant portion of its male population — reportedly in retaliation for mockery of his relationship with his brother Geta, whom he had murdered two years prior. Whether coins of this type were still being struck during or immediately after that event is unresolved, but the chronological window makes it plausible.

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