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AR23 - Valerian and Gallienus L Ϛ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 258-259 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Emperor Valerian I facing right, viewed from the front, with paludamentum visible on the left shoulder. The imperial effigy is rendered in the characteristic Alexandrian provincial style, with a bold, slightly coarse portraiture typical of mid-third century tetradrachm production. The encircling Greek legend reads Α Κ Π ΛΙ ΟΥΑΛΕΡΙΑΝΟϹ ΕΥ ΕΥ Ϲ, abbreviating the imperial titulature. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Year 6 of the joint reign — rendered as L Ϛ in the regnal dating system Alexandria maintained long after the rest of the empire had abandoned it — places this tetradrachm squarely in the period before catastrophe separated the two emperors permanently. In 260, Valerian was captured by Shapur I at the Battle of Edessa, the first Roman emperor ever taken prisoner by a foreign enemy. He died in Persian captivity, and the joint coinage ended with him.
The Alexandrian mint maintained its own billon tetradrachm standard, effectively isolated from Rome's currency reforms throughout this period.