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Æ33 - Marcus Aurelius L ΙΒ

Issuer Alexandria (Egypt)
Year 171-172
Type Standard circulation coin
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Obverse description Laureate head of Emperor Marcus Aurelius facing right, rendered in the characteristic Alexandrian provincial style with a thick wreath of laurel leaves encircling the head. The portrait displays the emperor's distinctive beard and curled hair. The surrounding Greek legend is partially visible along the right field, much of it obscured by wear and surface corrosion. The overall die work reflects the bold, slightly rough engraving typical of Alexandrian bronze coinage of the Antonine period.
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Mintage ND (171-172)
Additional information

Year 12 of Marcus Aurelius's reign — the regnal year encoded in that lambda-iota date — coincided almost exactly with the Roman counteroffensive against Marcomanni and Quadi pressing across the Danube. Alexandria's mint continued producing dated bronzes through these years with little interruption, its output tied to Egypt's closed currency system, which forced all incoming silver to be restruck as debased local tetradrachms and left the bronze denominations to handle everyday transactions in the province.

The L ΙΒ dating convention is the cleaner way to pin this piece: regnal year 12 ran from late summer 171 to late summer 172 by the Egyptian calendar.

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