Æ39 - Septimius Severus ΕΠ ΠΡΥ ΕΠΙΤΥΝΧΑΝΟΝΤΟϹ Γ ΦΙΛΩΝΟϹ ϹΤΡΑΤΟΝΙΚΕΩΝ

Stratonicea was one of the more politically assertive cities of Caria, having leveraged its status as a cult center for Zeus Chrysaoreus and Hecate to extract significant privileges from Rome over the preceding two centuries. The magistrate named in this issue — Philon, serving as strategos — represents exactly the kind of local elite whose civic ambitions were expressed through coin production rather than military or administrative careers. Under Septimius Severus, provincial bronze of this module became notably heavier as cities competed to produce prestige issues commensurate with imperial favor during the succession crisis following the death of Commodus.