Æ22 - Septimius Severus ΑΔΡΙ ΠΕΤΡΑ ΜΗΤ

Petra retained its civic coinage privileges well into the Severan period, a function of its status as metropolis of Arabia Petraea — a title the city lobbied for and won, which explains the abbreviated legend on this type. Severus recognized Petra's administrative utility in a province that bordered both Parthian territory and the increasingly restless reaches of the Syrian desert.