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Æ39 - Caracalla ΛΑΟΔΙΚΕΩΝ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ
| Issuer | Laodicea ad Lycum (Conventus of Cibyra) |
|---|---|
| Year | 198-217 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse lettering | ΑΥ Κ Μ ΑΥ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ (Translation: Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus) |
| Reverse description | A mythological birth-of-Zeus scene rendered in three registers: to the left, a female figure (likely a nymph or Amaltheia) is seated left with her head turned right, raising one hand behind her head while cradling the infant Zeus; at the center, Rhea kneels left with both arms raised in a gesture of supplication or offering; to the right, a standing female figure faces left, gathering her drapery with both hands. A tree occupies the background, alluding to the Cretan setting of the divine birth. The composition is typical of the elaborate mythological reverses produced by the Laodicean mint during the neocorate period. |
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Laodicea ad Lycum held the title of neokoros — keeper of the imperial cult temple — a distinction fiercely competed for among the cities of Asia Minor and awarded by the Roman Senate. The inclusion of ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ in the legend was not decorative; it was a political assertion, stamped onto bronze at civic expense to advertise the city's privileged relationship with Rome during Caracalla's reign.
The conventus of Cibyra was one of nine judicial districts in Asia, and Laodicea served as its assize center, which funded exactly this kind of ambitious civic bronze at large module.