Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Colophon (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 251-253 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A tetrastyle temple with four columns encloses Apollo Klarios seated left, holding his attributes in the manner of the celebrated cult statue of Claros. Beneath the temple podium, a humped bull stands before a lighted altar. In the foreground, thirteen female personifications of the Ionian League cities are arranged in a semicircle, each facing right with right hand raised and holding a wreath, symbolising the collective homage of the Koinon Ionton. The multi-line Greek legend, distributed in the field and exergue, records the name of the strategos-priest Kallisios and the issuing authority of the Ionian League. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Colophon had long been a minor presence in the Ionian koinon by the mid-third century, its classical glory as the birthplace of the poet Mimnermus and home of the Clarian Apollo sanctuary reduced largely to ceremonial relevance. The magistrate named in the legend, Klaudios Kallistos, held the priesthood of the Ionians — a rotating civic honor tied to the koinon's federal cult apparatus, which continued issuing bronze under provincial governors even as the Roman mint debased silver beyond recognition during the crisis years of Gallus's reign.
Colophon's civic bronze output was sparse. Issues naming a hiereus of the Ionians from this city are rare enough that die-linking studies have confirmed extremely limited production runs.