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Æ34 - Valerian and Gallienus ΤΡΑΛΛΙΑΝΩΝ ΠΡΩΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΟϹ / ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑ / ΠΥΘΙΑ
| Issuer | Tralles (Conventus of Ephesus) |
|---|---|
| Year | 253-260 |
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| Reference(s) | X#61686 |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | A prize table depicted in three-quarter view bears two agonistic awards: an inscribed laurel wreath and an inscribed agonistic crown, both flanked by upright palm branches symbolizing victory in the sacred games. Beneath the table, a prize amphora is placed centrally, referencing the athletic and musical competitions of the Olympia and Pythia festivals celebrated at Tralles. The reverse legend, arranged in three lines across the field and divided by the table, proclaims the city's proud title as foremost among the Greek cities. The composition is a canonical provincial type attesting to Tralles' status as a neokorate city granted the right to hold pan-Hellenic sacred games. The workmanship, while bold, exhibits the characteristic irregularity of large-module provincial bronzes from this period. |
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Tralles secured the title ΠΡΩΤΩΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΟϹ — "first of Greece" — through a competitive civic honorific system in which Asian cities lobbied Rome aggressively for prestige rankings. The coin's simultaneous invocation of both Olympian and Pythian games reflects Tralles' claim to neokorate status and its ambition to position itself among the great agonistic centers of the province. These joint-reign provincial bronzes were struck during the co-emperorship of Valerian and Gallienus, a window that closed sharply in 260 when Valerian was captured by Shapur I at Edessa — the only Roman emperor ever taken prisoner in battle.