Æ27 - Septimius Severus ΘΥΑΤΕΙΡΗΝΩΝ

Thyatira, a Lydian city better known from the New Testament's letters to the seven churches, was a major center of the dyeing trade and home to substantial guild activity — the same commercial networks that funded civic coinage like this issue. Under Septimius Severus, Greek imperial bronzes proliferated across the conventus system as cities competed for imperial favor during the civil wars of 193 AD, the so-called Year of the Five Emperors. Thyatira backed Severus early, a politically shrewd alignment that likely kept the city's mint active throughout his reign.