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Æ28 - Valerian and Gallienus ϹΑΜΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Samos (Conventus of Miletus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Reverse description | The Tyche of Samos stands in full figure facing left, wearing a kalathos (modius-shaped crown) upon her head, symbolising the city's prosperity and divine protection. In her right hand she holds a rudder, emblematic of maritime guidance and the island's seafaring heritage, while her left arm cradles a cornucopia overflowing with fruit and grain. The figure is rendered in the standard civic iconographic programme of Ionian provincial bronzes of the mid-third century. The ethnic legend ϹΑΜΙΩΝ appears in the field, identifying the issuing community. |
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| Mint | Samos |
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| Additional information |
Samos issued coins under the joint rule of Valerian I and his son Gallienus during a period when the Roman empire was fracturing under near-simultaneous pressure from Sassanid Persia in the east and Gothic incursions across the Danube. Valerian himself was captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD — the first Roman emperor taken alive by a foreign enemy — which effectively ended this co-regency and, almost certainly, terminated civic bronze production at Samos under their shared authority.
The Conventus of Miletus grouping reflects Roman administrative reorganization of Asia Minor, with Samos falling under Milesian juridical oversight rather than operating as a fully autonomous mint.