Æ41 - Severus Alexander ΕΠΙ ϹΤΡΑ Γ ΑΡΟΥΝ ΑΝΤΩΝΕΙΝΟΥ ΙΠΠΙ ΘΥΑΤΕΙΡΗΝΩΝ

Thyatira, a prosperous city in Lydia long associated with the purple-dye trade and metalworking guilds, issued large civic bronzes under named magistrates as a matter of municipal prestige. The strategos named in this coin's legend — Aruneius Antoninus Hippias — was a local magistrate whose tenure under Severus Alexander placed him responsible for overseeing this issue. Such magistrates bore real administrative accountability for coinage quality and weight standards, and naming them on the coin was both an honor and a liability.

Thyateira produced some of the heaviest provincial bronzes in the Pergamene conventus. At this module, the issue was almost certainly intended for local ceremonial or commercial use rather than everyday small transactions.