Æ26 - Elagabalus ΜΑΡ ΑΥΡ ΑΝΤ ΕΔΕϹϹΑ

Edessa occupied a peculiarly privileged position under Elagabalus — the city had backed his elevation and retained considerable autonomy as a client state of Rome. Its mint produced a distinct civic bronze coinage throughout his reign, operating under the Abgarid dynasty that had ruled Osrhoene as Roman vassals since Caracalla formally annexed the kingdom in 216 AD. These provincials were never struck for export; they circulated locally within a city that sat at the commercial crossroads between Roman Syria and Parthian Mesopotamia.