Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Didrachm - Marcus Aurelius Mount Argaeus
| Issuer | Caesarea (Cappadocia) Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 161-166 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Bare-headed bust of Marcus Aurelius facing right, with finely rendered curly hair and short beard, depicted in the naturalistic Antonine portrait tradition. The emperor's effigy is shown with draped shoulders, conveying imperial dignity. The circular Greek legend surrounds the portrait, reading ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΑΝΤⲰΝЄΙΝΟС СЄΒ, identifying the emperor as Antoninus Augustus. The die work displays the characteristic provincial style of the Caesarea mint in Cappadocia. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΑΝΤⲰΝЄΙΝΟС СЄΒ (Translation: The emperor Antoninus, august) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Caesarea in Cappadocia retained the right to strike its own silver coinage well into the imperial period, an unusual privilege tied to the region's strategic importance as a staging ground for Roman campaigns against Parthia and Armenia. The Mount Argaeus type was not merely local pride — the sacred volcano outside Caesarea was the dominant religious symbol of the region and appeared on civic coinage continuously for centuries, giving this issue a long numismatic lineage that predates Roman control entirely.
The dating range coincides with the early co-reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, when Verus was dispatched east to manage the Parthian War of 161–166. Cappadocia's proximity to the front made Caesarea's mint briefly more relevant than usual.