AR23 - Marcus Aurelius L Δ

Year four of Marcus Aurelius's reign coincided with the opening phase of the Parthian War, when Lucius Verus — Aurelius's co-emperor — was dispatched east while Aurelius remained in Rome managing civil administration. The Alexandrian mint was unusually productive during this period, supplying the monetized economy of Roman Egypt as military expenditure climbed. Billon tetradrachms from this year are well-attested across the Dattari and Milne corpora, suggesting no production interruption despite the pressures of the eastern campaign.