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Æ24 - Septimius Severus ΕΠ ϹΤ ΡΟΥΦΙΝΟΥ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Smyrna (Conventus of Smyrna) |
|---|---|
| Year | 193-211 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 24 mm |
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| Reverse description | Heracles depicted standing to the left in a powerful, frontal contrapposto stance. The hero holds a cantharus (drinking cup) in his outstretched right hand and a club in his left, with the Nemean lion skin draped over his left arm. The reverse legend ΕΠ ϹΤ ΡΟΥΦΙΝΟΥ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ is distributed around the field, identifying the civic magistrate and the issuing city of Smyrna. |
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| Mint | Smyrna (Ionia) |
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| Additional information |
Smyrna was among the most politically aggressive cities in the province of Asia when it came to cultivating imperial favor, and the magistrate named in this coin's legend — Rufinus — held the strategia during a period when civic minting was effectively a competition for Roman attention. The city had suffered a catastrophic earthquake under Marcus Aurelius and rebuilt substantially with imperial assistance, leaving it with both the infrastructure and the motivation to produce flattering bronze issues for each new reign.
Septimius Severus came to power through civil war, defeating Pescennius Niger — whose own base of support lay heavily in the eastern provinces, including Asia. Smyrna's prompt acknowledgment of Severus in bronze was not incidental.