Mylasa's civic bronze coinage under Septimius Severus reflects the city's careful navigation of imperial politics during a period of intense civil war. After Severus defeated Pescennius Niger in 194 AD, cities throughout Caria that had backed the wrong side faced consequences — Mylasa's continued minting suggests it aligned early or realigned quickly with the victor.
The conventus of Alabanda served as the administrative district through which Roman judicial and fiscal authority reached Mylasa, a city whose civic pride ran deep enough that it maintained its own monetary identity throughout the Severan period.
Mylasa's civic bronze coinage under Septimius Severus reflects the city's careful navigation of imperial politics during a period of intense civil war. After Severus defeated Pescennius Niger in 194 AD, cities throughout Caria that had backed the wrong side faced consequences — Mylasa's continued minting suggests it aligned early or realigned quickly with the victor.
The conventus of Alabanda served as the administrative district through which Roman judicial and fiscal authority reached Mylasa, a city whose civic pride ran deep enough that it maintained its own monetary identity throughout the Severan period.