Tetradrachm

Smyrna was among the most enthusiastic cities in the Greek East when it came to the imperial cult, having successfully petitioned Rome for the right to erect the first temple to the goddess Roma as early as 195 BC. The civic pride that generated is visible across the city's coinage for generations afterward. By the time these tetradrachms were struck, Smyrna was competing fiercely with Ephesus and Pergamon for primacy in the province of Asia — a rivalry that played out as much through monumental architecture and coinage programs as through any political channel.

Milne's die study identified only a small number of obverse dies for this emission, suggesting a tightly controlled and relatively brief production run.