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Æ24 - Valerian and Gallienus ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙ/ΤΩΝ
| Issuer | Metropolis (Ionia) (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Valerian I facing right, portrayed in three-quarter rear view. The obverse legend encircles the effigy in Greek characters, reading ΑΥΤ Κ ΠΟ ΛΙΚ ΟΥΑΛΕΡΙΑΝΟϹ, identifying the emperor by his full titulature. The portrait style is consistent with provincial bronze coinage of the mid-third century AD, with careful attention to the imperial regalia. The field is slightly irregular, characteristic of hammered provincial issues. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A river god reclines to the left in the field, rendered in the classical Hellenistic tradition typical of Ionian civic coinage. He holds a cornucopia in one arm, symbolic of abundance, while his other arm rests upon a rock or urn from which water flows. The reverse legend ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙ/ΤΩΝ is disposed around the figure, identifying the issuing city of Metropolis. The overall composition reflects the civic pride of the Ionian metropolis and its association with local waterways. The style and execution are consistent with bronze provincial emissions of the reign of Valerian I. |
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Metropolis in Ionia was a minor city that punched above its weight in civic coinage during the joint reign of Valerian I and Gallienus — a period when provincial mints across Asia Minor were producing bronze at an accelerated pace, partly because Roman imperial silver had degraded so badly that local bronze filled the gap in everyday exchange. The city's coins from this reign are catalogued thinly, and X#61155 is not cross-referenced in the major corpora with any frequency.
Valerian was captured by Shapur I of Persia in 260 AD, ending the joint reign abruptly — the only Roman emperor taken prisoner in battle.