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Æ39 - Commodus ΕΠΙ ΝΥ ΜΑΤΕΡΝΟΥ ΑΡ ΜΟϹΤΗΝΩΝ ΛΥΔΩΝ
| Issuer | Mostene (Conventus of Smyrna) |
|---|---|
| Year | 182-184 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | A nude, radiate deity — identified tentatively as Helios or the local solar cult figure Apollo-Tyrimnaios — stands upright in a galloping quadriga advancing to the right, holding a torch aloft in his raised hand. To the right of the composition, Hermes strides forward, his head turned back to the left, leading the horses while holding his caduceus; the dynamic scene reflects the vigorous provincial engraving traditions of Lydian civic bronzes. The reverse legend, distributed around the field, names the local magistrate Maternus and identifies the issuing city as Mostene of Lydia. |
| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Mostene was a minor Lydian city whose civic coinage depended entirely on the prestige of the sitting Roman governor to lend it credibility — the magistrate name ΝΥ ΜΑΤΕΡΝΟΥ inscribed here identifies the issue with a specific proconsular administration of Asia, anchoring it to a narrow window of roughly two years. Provincial bronzes of this size from the Smyrna conventus were struck for local market use and rarely traveled far, which is why the surfaces tend to show the particular flat, abraded wear of coins that circulated hard in a single region rather than passing through diverse hands.