Colophon's civic bronze output under Philip I was modest by Ionian standards — the city had long been overshadowed by Ephesus within the conventus and rarely struck in volume during the imperial period. What these issues document is the persistent local administrative machinery that allowed smaller poleis to maintain the formal right of coinage well into the third century, even as that privilege became increasingly ceremonial.
Philip's reign coincided with Rome's millennial celebrations of 248 AD, which generated unusual numismatic activity across the eastern provinces.
Colophon's civic bronze output under Philip I was modest by Ionian standards — the city had long been overshadowed by Ephesus within the conventus and rarely struck in volume during the imperial period. What these issues document is the persistent local administrative machinery that allowed smaller poleis to maintain the formal right of coinage well into the third century, even as that privilege became increasingly ceremonial.
Philip's reign coincided with Rome's millennial celebrations of 248 AD, which generated unusual numismatic activity across the eastern provinces.