Catalog
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| Issuer | Heraclea Pontica (Bithynia and Pontus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 222-235 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Cybele, the Phrygian mother goddess, is depicted enthroned facing left, seated upon a lion-flanked throne with two lions positioned on either side. The goddess holds a patera in her outstretched hand and rests her elbow upon a tympanum (drum), attributes emblematic of her cult. The reverse legend in Greek encircles the design, identifying the issuing city. The composition reflects the strong association between Heraclea Pontica and the cult of Cybele during the Severan period. |
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| Mint | Heraclea Pontica |
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| Additional information |
Heraclea Pontica had a long habit of asserting its colonial Greek identity on coinage well into the Roman imperial period — the city traced its founding to Megarian and Boeotian settlers in the 6th century BC and never let Rome forget it. Under Severus Alexander, whose reign brought relative stability after the chaos of Elagabalus, provincial mints across Bithynia and Pontus resumed output with some regularity. The reference VI#3544 places this among a catalogued but thinly documented group; Heraclean bronzes of this reign are not common in any systematic collection.