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Æ34 - Antoninus Pius ΚΩΙΩΝ ΜΕΙΛΗϹΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Cos (Conventus of Halicarnassus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 138-161 |
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| Reference(s) | RPC IV.2#880 |
| Obverse description | Laureate, draped bust of Antoninus Pius wearing the paludamentum, facing right, viewed from the centre. The portrait is rendered in the characteristic provincial style of the Conventus of Halicarnassus, with the legend encircling the effigy in the field. |
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| Reverse description | Two deities depicted in facing stances within the field: to the left, Asclepius stands facing with head turned to the right, holding a serpent-entwined staff; to the right, the cult statue of Apollo Didymeus stands nude and facing with head turned to the left, holding a stag and a bow. The composition reflects the religious significance of both Cos and Miletus, with the legend divided in the field. |
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| Additional information |
Cos maintained a special relationship with Rome throughout the imperial period, rooted partly in the island's famous medical tradition — the Asclepion at Cos was among the most celebrated healing sanctuaries in the ancient world, and Augustus himself had granted the island tax exemption in recognition of its physician Xenophon, who had served Claudius. The joint legend pairing Cos with Miletus is unusual and reflects a moment of civic alliance or shared honorific initiative rather than administrative merger — both cities operated independently within the Conventus of Halicarnassus.
The IV.2 reference places this within the exhaustive BMC/RPC framework for Asian civic bronzes under Antoninus Pius, a reign notable for its almost total absence of military crisis — which paradoxically flooded provincial mints with the resources to strike prestige civic issues.