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Æ30 - Marcus Aurelius ϹΤΡ Πο ΑΙ ΑΡΙΖΗΛοΥ ϹΜΥΡΝΑΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Smyrna (Conventus of Smyrna) |
|---|---|
| Year | 175-177 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Zeus Akraios enthroned, seated left, holding Nike in his extended right hand and a long sceptre in his left; to the right, an eagle stands facing with head turned left and wings spread. The composition is rendered in the Classical Greek tradition, reflecting Smyrna's civic pride and its close association with the cult of Zeus Akraios. The reverse legend in Greek around the field records the name of the strategos and the ethnicon of the Smyrnaeans. |
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| Additional information |
Smyrna was among the most politically adroit cities in the Roman province of Asia, cultivating imperial favor through lavish honorifics and timely loyalty — including during the crisis years when Marcus Aurelius was managing the aftermath of the Antonine Plague and the revolt of Avidius Cassius in 175 AD. The magistrate name preserved in the legend, partially rendered as Arizelou, places this coin within a documented sequence of civic bronze issues tied to specific annual officials whose tenures can sometimes be cross-referenced against inscriptional evidence from the city.
Smyrna held the title of neokoros — temple warden of the imperial cult — multiple times, and civic pride in that status drove ambitious bronze production under Marcus Aurelius specifically.