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AR23 - Valerian and Gallienus L Β
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 254-255 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Standing figure of Elpis (Hope) advancing to the left, rendered in flowing robes. The personification raises the hem of her garment with her right hand and extends her left hand forward holding a flower or floral spray. The regnal year date L Β (year 2, corresponding to 254-255 AD) appears in the field to the right, a characteristic feature of Alexandrian provincial coinage used to date issues by Egyptian regnal year. |
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| Reverse lettering | L Β |
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| Additional information |
This issue belongs to the joint reign coinage struck at Alexandria during the early years after Valerian's accession in 253 AD, when the empire was simultaneously fighting the Sassanids in the east and Gothic incursions across the Danube. The Alexandrian mint maintained its own dating system tied to regnal years — the L Β marks year two of their joint reign — operating semi-independently from Rome's monetary apparatus.
Valerian would be captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa in 260, becoming the only Roman emperor taken prisoner by a foreign enemy.