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Æ26 - Trajan Decius ϹΕΠ ΚΟΛ ΡΗϹΑΙΝΗϹΙωΝ L III P
| Issuer | Rhesaena (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 249-251 |
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| Reference(s) | RPC IX#1577 |
| Obverse description | Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Emperor Trajan Decius facing right, portrayed from behind, with the radiate crown clearly distinguishing his imperial status. The effigy displays the characteristic military cuirass and paludamentum draped over the left shoulder, rendered in the provincial style typical of Mesopotamian civic coinage. The encircling Greek legend names the emperor with his full titulature in the field around the bust. |
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤ Κ Γ ΜΕ ΚΥ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ΔΕΚΙΟϹ ϹΕΒ (Translation: Emperor Caesar Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius Augustus) |
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Rhesaena sat on the Khabur River in northern Mesopotamia, a strategically awkward position that placed it squarely between Roman ambition and Sasanian pressure. The city held colonial status under Rome — the ΣΕΠ in the legend abbreviating Septimia, the colonial title granted under Septimius Severus — and continued issuing civic bronzes into the reign of Trajan Decius, one of the last emperors under whom Mesopotamian colonial mints were still active. Decius died at the Battle of Abritus in 251, the first Roman emperor killed in battle against a foreign enemy, and civic coinage from the region effectively ceased shortly after.