Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Æ39 - Gordian III ΕΠΙ ΙΟΥΛ ϹΟΥΛ ΕΡΜΟΦΙΛΟΥ ΑΡΧ Α Τ Β ΕΡΜΟϹ ϹΑΡΔΙΑΝΩΝ Β ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ
| Issuer | Mint of Sardis |
|---|---|
| Year | 238-244 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The river god Hermos reclines to the left in a semi-prostrate pose, his muscular, semi-nude figure rendered in the classical personification tradition of ancient river deities. He holds a reed in his right hand, emblematic of riverine vegetation, while his left arm rests upon an overturned water urn from which water flows, symbolizing the river's source. The figure reclines against a rocky ground line, and the surrounding legend in Greek identifies the magistrate responsible for the issue and the twice-neocorate status of Sardis. The composition is characteristic of large-module provincial bronzes struck under Gordian III for the prestigious civic coinage of Sardis. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Sardis held the title of Neokoros — official guardian of an imperial cult temple — twice by the time Gordian III's reign began, an honor aggressively competed for among cities of the Asian province. The magistrate named in this issue, Julius Sul. Hermophilos, is documented across a tight cluster of Sardian bronzes from this period, suggesting a single active term rather than a long administrative career. The B ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ designation was not ceremonial shorthand; it reflected real expenditure, as cities funded temple construction and maintenance to secure and retain the title from Rome.