Æ32 - Marcus Aurelius L Γ

Year three of Marcus Aurelius's reign — the regnal year marked by the Γ in the exergue — fell at the opening of the Parthian War, when Vologases IV's forces overran Roman Armenia and destroyed a full legion under Severianus at Elegeia. Egypt's role was logistical rather than military, but Alexandria's mint ramped output sharply during these years to fund the eastern mobilization, which partly explains the relative abundance of L Γ bronzes compared to flanking regnal years.