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AR23 - Trajan Decius L - Α
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
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| Year | 249-250 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Trajan Decius facing right, portrayed in three-quarter view from the rear, with paludamentum visible over the left shoulder. The imperial effigy is rendered in the typical Alexandrian provincial style, with a radiate or laureate wreath crowning the head. The Greek legend encircles the bust in the outer field, identifying the emperor with his full titulature. The flan is irregular and slightly uneven, characteristic of Alexandrian billon tetradrachms of this period. |
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Trajan Decius seized power after his troops proclaimed him emperor in open revolt against Philip the Arab, who was killed — possibly by his own soldiers — at the Battle of Verona in September 249. The Alexandria mint responded almost immediately, and this first regnal year piece was struck before Decius launched his empire-wide edict requiring all citizens to sacrifice to the Roman gods — the first systematic state persecution of Christians, documented in surviving libelli from Egypt itself.