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Æ34 - Commodus ϹΑΜΙΩΝ
| Issuer | Samos (Conventus of Miletus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 184-190 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Two confronting deities occupy the reverse field in a symmetrical composition characteristic of Samian civic coinage. At left, nude Poseidon stands facing with his right foot raised upon a rock, his head turned to the right, and his right hand gripping a trident; at right, nude Zeus stands facing with his head turned to the left, holding a thunderbolt in his right hand and a long sceptre in his left. The pairing of Poseidon and Zeus reflects Samos's maritime identity and its veneration of the Olympian pantheon. The ethnic legend ϹΑΜΙΩΝ appears in the field, identifying the issuing city. |
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| Additional information |
Samos sat within the conventus of Miletus, one of the judicial districts Rome used to administer the Greek-speaking provinces of Asia. Civic bronze at this scale — well above the average provincial issue — typically required local magistrates to fund production directly, a form of public munificence that bought political standing at home while advertising loyalty to the emperor abroad. The magistrate's name embedded in the legend is the real historical document here.
Commodus was officially deified after his assassination in 192 AD, then swiftly condemned by the Senate in a rare act of retroactive damnatio memoriae, his name chiseled from inscriptions across the empire. Issues struck before that reversal, like this one, circulated without incident for years.