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AR26 - Domitian L Η
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 88-89 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | The syncretic deity Zeus-Sarapis is depicted enthroned and seated to the left, his right hand extended and his left hand resting on a sceptre. He wears the characteristic modius (kalathos) crown atop his head, emblematic of his role as lord of abundance and the underworld. At his feet to the lower left crouches Cerberus, the three-headed guardian hound of the underworld, rendered as a small but recognisable figure. The regnal date legend L Η (Year 8, corresponding to 88–89 AD) appears in the left field. The composition reflects the important religious role of Sarapis in Alexandrian civic and imperial ideology. |
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| Reverse lettering | L Η |
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| Additional information |
Year 8 of Domitian's reign in Egypt, corresponding to 88–89 AD, falls within his increasingly autocratic later years — the period when he demanded to be addressed as *dominus et deus* in Rome. Alexandrian tetradrachms of this era were struck on the billon standard that had been steadily debased since Nero's currency reform of 64 AD, though calling this piece silver reflects its nominal designation rather than its actual fineness, which by this point hovered well below 20% pure metal.