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Æ33 - Marcus Aurelius L ΙΒ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 171-172 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse lettering | Μ ΑΥΡΗΛΙΟϹ ΑΝ[ΤωΝΙΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ (Translation: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus) |
| Reverse description | The god Nilus reclines to the left in a relaxed pose, his semi-draped figure leaning against a support, holding a tall reed in one hand and a cornucopia overflowing with produce in the other, emblematic of Egypt's agricultural abundance. A crocodile, the sacred animal of the Nile, is depicted below the reclining deity. The regnal year ligature L ΙΒ (Year 12) appears in the field to the upper left. The composition is typical of Alexandrian reverse iconography celebrating the Nile flood and its life-sustaining fertility. |
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| Additional information |
Year 12 of Marcus Aurelius's reign — rendered on Alexandrian bronzes as L ΙΒ — fell during the grinding early phase of the Marcomannic Wars, when the emperor was organizing Roman defenses along the Danube rather than governing from Rome. The Alexandrian mint continued its distinctive regnal-year dating system throughout, one of the few provincial mints that allows modern scholars to sequence issues with unusual precision.
Alexandrian bronzes of this period are frequently found with uneven surfaces due to the coarse alloy composition typical of the Egyptian provincial supply chain — not a strike defect but a metallurgical one endemic to the series.