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Æ L LOLLIVS Γ
| Issuer | Cnossus (Cyrenaica and Crete) |
|---|---|
| Year | 37 BC - 34 BC |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Obverse description | Diademed head of Zeus Diktaios facing right, rendered in the Hellenistic tradition with flowing hair and a prominent diadem; a sceptre is positioned vertically in the field before the face. The portrait exhibits bold, if somewhat worn, modelling characteristic of late Republican-era provincial bronze coinage. The surrounding field retains traces of a beaded border. The Greek numeral B (2) appears as a control mark in the field. |
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| Reverse description | A sella curulis (the folding ivory magistrate's chair symbolic of Roman civic authority) depicted in three-quarter view, with the distinctive curved legs rendered in clear relief; a fasces or bundle is shown resting across the seat. The Latin legend L LOLLIVS arcs above the type, identifying the Roman magistrate Lucius Lollius, with the Greek numeral Γ (3) appearing as a control mark in the lower field. The composition reflects the hybrid Greco-Roman character of Cnossian coinage under Roman administration. A dotted border frames the design. |
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| Additional information |
Cnossus was re-founded as a Roman colony — Colonia Iulia Nobilis — around 36 BC, and the earliest colonial bronzes reflect the awkward administrative transition from Greek civic coinage to Roman colonial practice. The magistrate name L. Lollius almost certainly refers to a local duovir or similar colonial official appointed under the Augustan settlement of Crete, though precise prosopographical identification remains unresolved in the literature.
The gamma control mark is the detail that earns this piece its catalog distinction from the commoner varieties of the series.