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Æ23 - Gordian III ΦΛ ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΕΩΝ ΝΕ (ΚΟΡΩΝ)
| Issuer | Philadelphia (Conventus of Sardis) |
|---|---|
| Year | 238-244 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 23 mm |
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| Reverse description | The goddess Roma seated left upon a shield and cuirass, rendered in the classicising style favoured by Lydian provincial workshops. In her extended right hand she holds a cult statue of Artemis Ephesia, the multi-breasted fertility deity venerated throughout the region, while her left hand grasps a parazonium, the short military dagger symbolising Roman imperium. The composition underscores Philadelphia's status as a neocorate city honouring both Rome and the preeminent Anatolian deity. The reverse legend encircles the field, proclaiming the neocorate dignity of the Flavian Philadelphians. |
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| Mintage | ND (238-244) |
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Philadelphia in Lydia — modern Alaşehir — was one of the last cities in Asia Minor to hold out against Christian conversion, retaining active pagan cult worship well into the late Roman period. The city's coins under Gordian III fall within a remarkably productive civic minting phase, issuing types across multiple magistracies simultaneously. The abbreviation ΝΕ in the legend denotes neokoros status, an honorific granted by Rome certifying the city as an official keeper of an imperial cult temple — a distinction Philadelphia fought hard to maintain against rival Lydian cities.