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Æ27 - Gordian III ΟΔΗϹϹΕΙΤΩΝ, Ε
| Issuer | City of Odessos (Moesia Inferior) |
|---|---|
| Year | 238-244 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Hygieia, goddess of health, stands facing right in draped garments, extending a patera in her right hand from which a large serpent coils upward to feed. The serpent, a traditional attribute of Hygieia, rises from below and is supported along the figure's left side. The reverse legend ΟΔΗϹϹΕΙΤΩΝ encircles the field, identifying the issuing city of Odessos, with the Greek numeral Ε (5) appearing in the lower field as a possible officina or denomination mark. The coin image provided shows this reverse type with the standing figure of Hygieia clearly rendered in relief. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Odessos — modern Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast — was one of the more prolific civic minting authorities under the Severan and Gordian dynasties, producing a remarkable range of bronze denominations for local circulation. The Ε in the inscription almost certainly denotes a denomination mark within the city's own internal tariff system, a practice attested at several Moesian and Thracian cities during the third century but still not fully understood in its mechanics.
Gordian III's reign saw an explosion of provincial civic coinage across the eastern empire as Rome's own silver coinage deteriorated sharply following the antoninianus reforms of Caracalla.