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Æ27 - Severus Alexander ϹΕΠ ΚΟΛΟ ΝΕϹΙΒΙ Μ (Τ)
| Issuer | Nisibis (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | Draped, veiled, and turreted bust of Tyche facing right, personifying the city of Nisibis. A star appears both before and behind the bust in the field, serving as decorative and possibly astrological symbols associated with the city's iconography. Above the bust, a ram leaps to the right with its head turned back, likely referencing the zodiacal sign of Aries as a symbol of the city or its founding. The reverse legend surrounds the central design, identifying Nisibis as an Augustan colony and metropolis. The composition reflects the standard civic imagery employed by Mesopotamian colonial mints under the Severan dynasty. |
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| Reverse lettering | ϹΕΠ ΚΟΛΟ ΝΕϹΙΒΙ ΜΗ(Τ) (Translation: Augustan colony of the Nisibians, metropolis) |
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Nisibis held exceptional strategic value as a Roman forward base in Mesopotamia — it was the easternmost city to receive formal colonial status, elevated by Septimius Severus following his Parthian campaigns of 195–198 AD. The colonial title encoded in the legend reflects that grant, not any action of Severus Alexander himself. By the time of this issue, the city functioned as the primary staging point for Roman operations against the Sasanian Empire, which had supplanted Parthia in 224 AD and almost immediately began pressing against Rome's eastern frontier.