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Æ26 - Trajan Decius ϹΕΠ ΡΗϹΑΙΝΗϹΙωΝ L III P
| Issuer | Rhesaena (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 249-251 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 26 mm |
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| Reverse description | Turreted and veiled Tyche, personification of the city of Rhesaena, seated left upon rocky ground, holding ears of corn in her extended hand as an emblem of civic prosperity. At her feet, the river god Chaboras is depicted swimming, representing the local river associated with the city. Above the seated figure, an eagle is shown with a wreath in its beak, a common honorific symbol on Mesopotamian provincial coinage. The reverse legend encircling the field identifies the issuing colony and its military association. The composition reflects the standard Severan-era civic iconographic program continued under the soldier-emperors. |
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| Mintage | ND (249-251) |
| Additional information |
Rhesaena was a Severan foundation in northern Mesopotamia — the city's civic era dates from the reign of Septimius Severus, and the "L III" in this issue's legend denotes year three of that local reckoning, placing the strike firmly within Trajan Decius's short reign. The city sat along the Khabur River near the fluctuating Roman-Parthian, then Roman-Sasanian frontier, and its bronze coinage reflects brief windows of Roman administrative consolidation in a region perpetually contested.
Trajan Decius died at the Battle of Abritus in 251 AD, the first Roman emperor killed in battle against a foreign enemy. Provincial issues bearing his name are correspondingly scarce.