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Æ34 - Caracalla ϹΑΜΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Samos (Conventus of Miletus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 198-217 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Caracalla facing right, depicted from the rear in the three-quarter back view characteristic of certain provincial issues. The emperor wears a laurel wreath, paludamentum, and military cuirass. The surrounding legend, partially preserved, runs clockwise in Greek characters along the periphery of the flan. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Μ ΑΥΡΗ]Λ ΑΝΤΩΝ[ΕΙΝΟϹ ΠΕΙΟϹ ΑΥ (Translation: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Augustus) |
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| Additional information |
Samos struck bronze under Caracalla as part of the broader civic coinage tradition of the Ionian Greek cities, which retained the right to issue local bronze long after Rome had eliminated regional silver. The island's mint activity under the Severans was modest, and large-module pieces like this 34mm issue — struck for local prestige rather than everyday small transactions — tend to survive in lower quantities than their smaller counterparts.
The Samian attribution to the Conventus of Miletus reflects Roman administrative geography, not Samian civic identity; the island maintained its own proud traditions stretching back to the Polycratean tyranny of the 6th century BC.