Æ28 - Decius IMP C C MES Q TRA DECIVS AVG

Caesarea Maritima struck bronze under Decius during a reign defined by the first empire-wide persecution of Christians, formalized through the Decian Edict of 250, which required all inhabitants to sacrifice to the Roman gods and obtain a certificate of compliance. Provincial mints like Caesarea — a city with a substantial Christian population and the seat of a significant early bishopric — would have operated under that same imperial pressure. Origen, who lived and wrote in Caesarea during precisely this period, was arrested and tortured under the Decian persecution, dying shortly after from his injuries.