Æ32 - Marcus Aurelius ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡΑ Μ Ι ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΥ

Thyatira, a Lydian city whose economy ran largely on dyeing and wool guilds, was one of the more prolific issuers of civic bronze under the Antonines. The magistrate name preserved in the legend — Menelaos — anchors this piece to a specific local official whose tenure under Marcus Aurelius coincided with the emperor's grinding Marcomannic Wars on the Danube frontier, campaigns that strained imperial finances and pushed civic minting into greater prominence as Rome's own output tightened.