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Æ29 - Gordian III ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡ Μ ΙΟΥ ΗΡΑΚΛΑ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ
| Issuer | Metropolis (Ionia) (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 238-244 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 29 mm |
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| Reverse description | Cybele, the Phrygian mother goddess, enthroned and seated to the left, holding a patera in her outstretched right hand while her left arm rests upon a tympanum. A lion, her sacred animal and attribute, is positioned at her feet. The scene is enclosed within a dotted border with the magistrate's legend distributed around the field, a typical compositional formula for civic bronzes of the Ionian conventus during the Severan and Gordian periods. |
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| Mintage | ND (238-244) |
| Additional information |
Metropolis was a minor Ionian city of modest political weight, but its civic coinage under Gordian III reflects the intense competition among Asian cities for imperial favor during this period. The strategos Μ. Ιου. Ηρακλας, whose name appears in the magistrate formula, was a local official responsible for overseeing the issue — a common administrative arrangement in the Conventus of Ephesus, where civic bronzes required magistrate endorsement rather than central imperial authorization.
Gordian III's reign saw a notable surge in provincial bronze output across Ionia, partly filling gaps left by disruptions to central silver supply following the chaos of 238 AD's six-emperor year.