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Æ26 - Trajan ΕΠΙ Γ Β ΝΙΓΡΟΥ ΑΡ (Ρ) Β ΦΙΛΑΔΕΛΦΕΩΝ
| Issuer | Philadelphia (Conventus of Sardis) |
|---|---|
| Year | 98-117 |
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| Diameter | 26 mm |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of the personified Roman Senate facing right, rendered in the provincial style typical of Asia Minor civic coinage under Trajan. The figure is depicted with loose, flowing drapery over the right shoulder, the head slightly idealized with wavy hair. The Greek legend ΙΕΡΑ ϹΥΝΚΛΗΤΟϹ (Sacred Senate) is inscribed in the field, identifying the allegorical subject. The flan is irregular and the surfaces show heavy patination consistent with prolonged burial, though the broad portrait remains legible. |
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| Reverse description | Tyche, the tutelary goddess of the city, depicted standing to the left in full figure, wearing a polos crown and long chiton with himation. She holds a ship's rudder downward in her extended right hand, symbolizing fortune and navigation, and cradles a cornucopia in her left arm, representing abundance. The surrounding Greek legend names the local magistrate Gaius B— Niger serving as first archon for the second time, along with the civic ethnic of the Philadelphians. The composition follows the standard provincial reverse type for civic personifications in the Lydian conventus during the Trajanic period. |
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Philadelphia in Lydia — modern Alaşehir in western Turkey — was one of the last cities in Asia Minor to hold out against Mithridates VI during the First Mithridatic War, a loyalty to Rome that earned it lasting favor and considerable civic autonomy. The magistrate name preserved in this coin's legend, Nigros, appears in a small cluster of Trajanic bronzes from this mint and nowhere else, placing his tenure with unusual precision within the conventus administration of Sardis. The second title in the legend likely reflects an honorary rank within the local boule rather than an imperial appointment.