Catalog
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| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 83-84 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | RPC II#2489 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Sarapis facing right, the syncretic Graeco-Egyptian deity depicted with his characteristic modius (grain measure) atop his head, as is conventional on Alexandrian provincial coinage of the imperial period. The design occupies the central field, with the dated Greek legend distributed around the periphery, recording the regnal year according to the Alexandrian dating system. |
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| Additional information |
This coin dates to Year 3 of Domitian's reign, the Egyptian regnal dating system running from the accession year rather than a calendar reset — a bureaucratic habit inherited from Ptolemaic practice and maintained throughout Roman rule in Egypt. Alexandria's mint operated under tight imperial supervision, issuing bronze for local circulation only; Egyptian coinage was a closed currency system, forbidden from leaving the province and foreign coin from entering it.
Year 3 falls squarely in Domitian's early reign, before the political tensions of the 90s that would later color his historical reputation.