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Æ30 - Marcus Aurelius ϹΤΡ ΠΟ ΑΙ ΑΡΙΖΗΛΟΥ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Smyrna (Conventus of Smyrna) |
|---|---|
| Year | 175-177 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12.47 g |
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| Obverse description | Youthful bare-headed bust of Commodus, draped in paludamentum, facing right and seen from the rear, presented in the provincial Greek style typical of Smyrnaean civic coinage of the Antonine period. The obverse legend encircles the effigy in Greek majuscule characters, identifying the young Caesar. The portrait captures Commodus at an early age, consistent with his designation as Caesar prior to his elevation as co-Augustus in 177 CE. |
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| Obverse lettering | Λ ΑΥΡ ΚΟΜΟΔΟϹ ΚΑΙϹΑΡ |
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Smyrna was one of the most politically assertive cities in Roman Asia, and by the reign of Marcus Aurelius it had accumulated the title *neokoros* — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times over, a distinction it competed for aggressively against Ephesus and Pergamon. The magistrate name preserved in the legend, Arizelus, anchors this issue to a specific civic administration otherwise nearly invisible in the literary record. Provincial bronze of this format was struck entirely at civic expense, with the city bearing production costs as a form of loyalty demonstration to Rome.