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Æ32 - Marcus Aurelius L Ϛ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 165-166 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | RPC IV.4#2940 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Sarapis facing right, crowned with the characteristic kalathos (modius), his beard rendered in wavy locks in the Hellenistic tradition. Beneath the bust, an eagle is depicted standing facing, wings spread, with head turned to the left — a common divine attribute on Alexandrian coinage linking imperial and religious iconography. The regnal year in the field serves as the principal reverse legend. |
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| Additional information |
Regnal year 6 of Marcus Aurelius corresponds to 165–166 AD, a period when the Antonine Plague was beginning its devastating sweep through the eastern provinces. The disease — likely smallpox, carried back by troops returning from the Parthian War — killed an estimated five million people across the empire and hit Alexandria particularly hard given its role as the Mediterranean's busiest port.
Alexandrian bronzes of this period were struck under the Roman prefect of Egypt, outside the authority of the Roman senatorial mint system entirely. The city maintained its own dating by regnal year, its own weight standards, and its own iconographic vocabulary well into the third century.