Comana in Pontus held a peculiar dual identity: a major temple-city dedicated to the war goddess Ma, and a transit hub on the route between the Black Sea coast and the Armenian interior. The city's coins from the Severan period frequently note its era dating from the Bithynian-Pontic provincial calendar, and the ΕΤ ΒΟΡ in this legend marks year 172 of that reckoning — anchoring the issue precisely to 205–206 AD. Severus was by then consolidating eastern gains following his Parthian campaigns, and provincial bronze production across Pontus accelerated noticeably in these years, likely tied to increased troop movement and local economic activity along the Anatolian corridor.
Comana in Pontus held a peculiar dual identity: a major temple-city dedicated to the war goddess Ma, and a transit hub on the route between the Black Sea coast and the Armenian interior. The city's coins from the Severan period frequently note its era dating from the Bithynian-Pontic provincial calendar, and the ΕΤ ΒΟΡ in this legend marks year 172 of that reckoning — anchoring the issue precisely to 205–206 AD. Severus was by then consolidating eastern gains following his Parthian campaigns, and provincial bronze production across Pontus accelerated noticeably in these years, likely tied to increased troop movement and local economic activity along the Anatolian corridor.