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Æ36 - Marcus Aurelius ΑΤΤΑΛΟϹ ϹΟΦΙϹΤΗϹ ΤΑΙϹ ΠΑΤΡΙϹΙ ϹΜΥΡ ΛΑΟ
| Issuer | Smyrna (Conventus of Smyrna) |
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| Year | 169-175 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Laureate bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius facing right, depicted with a long beard and long curling locks, wearing cuirass and paludamentum (military cloak), seen from the centre. The portrait is rendered in the characteristic provincial style of Ionian civic coinage, with bold relief and strong facial detail. The obverse legend encircles the bust, identifying the emperor by his imperial titulature. |
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥ Κ Μ ΑΥ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟϹ |
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This issue belongs to the remarkable civic coinage Smyrna produced in honor of Aelius Aristides, the rhetor whose title ϹΟΦΙϹΤΗϹ appears in the legend — one of the very few instances in provincial coinage where a living intellectual rather than an emperor or deity receives explicit honorific billing. Aristides had deep ties to Smyrna, delivering his famous address to Marcus Aurelius requesting aid for the city after the catastrophic earthquake of 178 AD, though this piece predates that petition.
The ΤΑΙϹ ΠΑΤΡΙϹΙ formula signals a civic dedication, framing the issue within Smyrna's aggressive pursuit of prestige titles during the Antonine period.