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Æ28 - Severus Alexander ϹΕΠ ΚΟΛΟ ΝΕϹΙΒΙ ΜΗΤ
| Issuer | Nisibis (Mesopotamia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Draped, veiled and turreted bust of Tyche, the city goddess of Nisibis, facing right. In the field behind the bust appears a star, and before it a second star accompanied by a corn ear, emblems of fertility and divine favour. Above the bust, a ram leaps to the right with its head turned back to look behind, representing the zodiacal sign of Aries, the tutelary astral symbol of Nisibis. The reverse legend in Greek identifies the city as a Severan colony and metropolis of the region. |
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| Additional information |
Nisibis occupied one of the most strategically contested positions in the ancient world — a frontier city on the Roman-Parthian (later Roman-Sasanian) border that changed hands repeatedly and whose civic pride was expressed partly through the right to strike bronze coinage. The title Metropolis, reflected in the coin's legend, was granted under Elagabalus and confirmed under Severus Alexander, a distinction the city advertised aggressively on its bronzes.
The Severus Alexander period at Nisibis coincides with the early Sasanian pressure on Rome's eastern frontier — Ardashir I had overthrown the Arsacids by 224 AD, and the city's coinage was being struck in the shadow of a fundamentally altered threat.