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Æ22 - Gallienus (sole reign) (ΑΘΗΝΑΙΩΝ)
| Issuer | Athens (Achaea) |
|---|---|
| Year | 260-268 |
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| Reference(s) | X#59818 |
| Obverse description | Draped bust of Athena facing right, wearing a crested Attic helmet; the neck and shoulder are enveloped in a draped garment rendered in the provincial Greek style of the mid-third century AD. The flan is irregular and the relief is moderately worn, yet the characteristic helmet crest and facial profile remain discernible. No legend appears on the obverse. |
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| Reverse description | Athena advancing right in a dynamic martial pose, her raised right hand brandishing a spear and her left arm bearing a large round shield; to the right stands an owl facing right, the traditional Athenian civic emblem, while to the left an olive tree is shown entwined by a serpent, symbolising the sacred olive of the Acropolis. The encircling Greek legend ΑΘΗΝΑΙΩΝ (of the Athenians) fills the field around the figural composition. The overall design draws consciously on classical Athenian iconographic tradition, reaffirming civic identity under Roman provincial rule during the sole reign of Gallienus. |
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| Additional information |
Athens struck remarkably little bronze under the sole reign of Gallienus, and what exists tends to cluster in a narrow typological range tied closely to the city's insistence on projecting Hellenic identity under Roman rule. The Herulian sack of Athens in 267 AD almost certainly disrupted or ended local production outright — coins attributable to the final years of this reign from Athenian workshops are substantially rarer than those from the early 260s.