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Æ28 - Antoninus Pius ΚΩΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Cos (Conventus of Halicarnassus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 139-146 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Zeus enthroned to the left, his feet resting upon a low footstool or bench, holding in his extended right hand a statuette of Artemis of Ephesus (the multimammia type) and grasping a long sceptre in his left hand. At his feet to the right stands an eagle facing, with wings spread, a standard Jovian attribute. The composition is a well-established iconographic type in the civic coinage of Carian cities, reflecting the pan-Hellenic religious significance of both Zeus and the Ephesian Artemis cult. The ethnic legend ΚΩΙΩΝ appears in the field, identifying the issuing city of Cos. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Cos sat within the Conventus of Halicarnassus, one of the administrative districts Rome used to organize the province of Asia, and its civic coinage under Antoninus Pius reflects the island's determined effort to maintain prestige during a reign that saw relatively little provincial unrest to demand imperial attention. The ethnic ΚΩΙΩΝ — genitive plural, "of the Koans" — was the standard civic formula asserting local identity on issues that circulated primarily within the island and its immediate trading orbit.
Cos had a long attachment to medicine through its association with the Asclepion, and this civic pride translated directly into continued bronze production even when neighboring island mints went quiet.