Æ23 - Septimius Severus ΕΠΙ ΑΡ ΑΙ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΙΟΥ

Trapezopolis was a minor Lydian city of limited political weight, dependent on the conventus system that grouped smaller Asian communities under Roman administrative jurisdiction centered at Alabanda. Civic bronze of this type was issued under local magistrates — the ΕΠΙ formula naming Ar. Apollonios as the responsible official — a practice that gave provincial elites a tangible expression of civic authority they otherwise lacked at the imperial level. Septimius Severus's accession following the chaos of 193 AD prompted a wave of such issues across Asia Minor, many cities moving quickly to demonstrate loyalty to whichever claimant consolidated power.