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AR21 - Aurelian ΕΤΟΥϹ Ε
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 273-274 |
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| Composition | Billon |
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| Reverse description | Draped bust of Sarapis facing right, wearing the characteristic kalathos (modius) atop his head, the Egyptian deity rendered with flowing drapery over the shoulders. The god's beard and facial features are rendered in the Hellenistic tradition typical of Alexandrian coinage. The field carries the regnal dating legend ΕΤΟΥϹ Ε (Year 5), indicating the fifth year of Aurelian's reign as reckoned by the Alexandrian calendar, with the letter Ε positioned to the right of the bust. |
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| Reverse lettering | ΕΤΟΥϹ Ε |
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| Additional information |
Year 5 of Aurelian's reign coincides almost exactly with the aftermath of his reconquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 272, when Alexandria was brought back under direct Roman control following Zenobia's bid for independence. The Alexandrian mint resumed imperial coinage almost immediately after the city's reintegration, making these Year 5 tetradrachms among the earliest issues struck there under normalized Roman authority.
Aurelian's broader monetary reforms — his attempt to stabilize the debased coinage empire-wide — were still taking shape at this point, and the Alexandrian billon tetradrachm continued on its own long-established metrological trajectory, largely insulated from western reform pressures until the mint's eventual closure under Diocletian.