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Æ22 - Severus Alexander ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ
| Issuer | Metropolis (Ionia) (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Tyche, the civic goddess of fortune, stands facing left in the field, wearing a kalathos (modius-style basket crown) upon her head. She holds a rudder in her right hand, symbolising guidance and destiny, and a cornucopia in her left arm, representing abundance and prosperity. The reverse legend in Greek encircles the type, naming the issuing civic authority. The composition follows the standard iconographic formula for Tyche on provincial bronzes of Ionia. |
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| Additional information |
Metropolis in Ionia was a minor city that punched above its weight in civic coinage during the Severan period, leveraging its position within the Ephesian conventus to maintain a modest but consistent bronze output. The city's name — quite literally "mother city" — reflected an earlier colonial prestige that had largely faded by the third century, leaving civic pride to be expressed primarily through exactly this kind of local bronze issue rather than through any meaningful political or economic influence.