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Æ22 - Gordian III ΜΗΤΡ ΚΟΛ ΚΑΡΡΗΝωΝ
| Issuer | Carrhae (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 243-244 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 6.10 g |
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| Reverse description | Draped, veiled, and turreted bust of Tyche facing left, the city goddess of Carrhae, flanked on either side by a six-pointed star in the field. The turreted crown identifies Tyche as the personification and divine protectress of the colonial city. The encircling Greek legend ΜΗΤΡ ΚΟΛ ΚΑΡΡΗΝωΝ, abbreviated for Mētropolis Kolōnia Karrēnōn, affirms the metropolis and colonial status of Carrhae. The overall composition is characteristic of Mesopotamian provincial bronze coinage issued under Roman imperial authority. The flan shows the irregular, slightly convex fabric typical of hammered civic bronzes of this period. |
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| Mint | Carrhae, Mesopotamia, modern-day Harran, Turkey |
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| Additional information |
Carrhae was notorious in the ancient world long before Gordian III — it was where Crassus met his end in 53 BC, and where Caracalla was murdered by his own troops in 217 AD. The city retained enough civic pride to strike its own bronze under Roman imperial authority, and this issue falls within the final months of Gordian's reign, almost certainly before his death on campaign against Shapur I in early 244 — whether killed by Shapur's forces or by his own praetorian prefect Philip the Arab remains disputed.