Æ35 - Philip I ΕΠΙ ΑΥΡ ΔΡΑΥΚΟΥ ΕΠΑΦΡΟΔΕΙΤΟΥ ΠΡΩ ΑΡΧ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΩΝ

Philip I's reign saw a surge in provincial bronze production across Asia Minor, partly to fund the lavish Secular Games he staged in Rome in 248 AD — the first in a century, marking Rome's supposed thousandth anniversary. The magistrate named in this coin's legend, Aurelios Draukos Epaphroditos, held the title of protos archon at Hadriani ad Olympum, a city founded by Hadrian in the early second century during his extensive tour of the eastern provinces. Such double-barrelled magistrate attributions are uncommon in the city's output and help anchor die studies for the mint's Philip I series.