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| Issuer | Alexandria Troas (Conventus of Adramyteum) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | Apollo stands nude facing left in a relaxed contrapposto pose, his right foot raised and resting upon a low rectangular pedestal or cippus. He extends his right hand forward holding a laurel branch, an attribute emblematic of his role as god of prophecy and the arts. The reverse legend, distributed around the field, identifies the issuing colony in Latin. The composition reflects the strong Hellenistic artistic tradition maintained at Alexandria Troas. |
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| Mint | Alexandria Troas |
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| Additional information |
Alexandria Troas was a Roman colony — Colonia Alexandria Augusta Troadensis — whose colonial status entitled it to issue bronze coinage in the Roman tradition, a privilege not extended to every city in the conventus. Under Severus Alexander, the city's mint was notably productive, exploiting the emperor's long and relatively stable reign to issue a wide range of types. The reference to COL ALEX AVG in the legend is the colony asserting its Roman civic identity explicitly, something the city did consistently across multiple reigns.
Severus Alexander was killed by his own troops in 235 AD near Mainz, his murder marking the onset of the Crisis of the Third Century and the abrupt end of the Severan dynasty.