Catalog
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| Issuer | Alexandria Mint (Roman Imperial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 293-294 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | Four-line Greek inscription ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟϹ ΔΕΚΑΤΗ (meaning 'tenth cycle' or 'tenth period', denoting the regnal year) enclosed within a laurel wreath tied at the base. The wreath is rendered with individual leaves clearly delineated, and the inscription fills the central field in four horizontal lines. A short horizontal rule or exergual line appears beneath the lettering within the wreath. The entire design is framed by a beaded border consistent with Alexandrian mint production of the Diocletianic era. |
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| Mintage | ND (293-294) |
| Additional information |
This tetradrachm belongs to the final regnal year of Diocletian's coinage at Alexandria before his currency reform of 294 AD fundamentally dismantled the Egyptian monetary system. For nearly three centuries, Alexandria had operated a closed currency zone — provincial tetradrachms could not legally circulate outside Egypt, and foreign coins could not circulate within it. Diocletian ended this by integrating Egypt into the imperial coinage system, replacing the billon tetradrachm with the new argenteus and follis denominations. The ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟϹ ΔΕΚΑΤΗ legend marks this as Year Ten of Diocletian's reign — the last such dating the Alexandria mint would ever strike.