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Æ36 - Commodus ΕΦΕϹΙΩΝ Β ΝΕΟ ΠΕΡΓΑΜΗΝΩΝ ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ
| Issuer | Ephesus (Conventus of Ephesus) |
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| Year | 182-184 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, cuirassed bust of Emperor Commodus, draped with paludamentum, facing right and seen from the rear, presenting a three-quarter back view. The obverse legend encircles the effigy, identifying the emperor with his Olympian epithet. The portrait reflects the provincial Greek Imperial die-cutting style characteristic of the Ephesian mint, with attention to the elaborate surface treatment of the armour. |
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| Reverse description | Homonoia type depicting two divine figures in confronting arrangement. To the left, the cult statue of Artemis Ephesia stands facing, wearing a kalathos (cylindrical crown) and adorned with the characteristic multiple supports and ornamental bands of her iconic Ephesian form. To the right, Asclepius stands facing with head turned to the left, holding his serpent-entwined staff (caduceus-staff). The pairing of Ephesus's patron goddess with Asclepius, the tutelary deity of Pergamon, visually embodies the Homonoia (concord) between the two cities expressed in the surrounding legend. |
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The ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ (homonoia) coinage struck between Ephesus and Pergamon reflects a formal alliance between two cities that were bitter rivals for provincial status. Both held the title neokoros — temple warden for the imperial cult — and both had spent decades lobbying Rome for precedence. These homonoia issues were diplomatic theater: public, monumental in scale, and almost certainly driven by the need to present a unified front to Roman administrators who grew tired of inter-city squabbling. Commodus, freshly sole emperor after Marcus Aurelius died in 180, provided a convenient focal point for that performance.