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Tetradrachm - Aurelianus L Є, Alexandria
| Issuer | Alexandria Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 273-274 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse script | Greek, Latin |
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| Additional information |
Aurelian's Egyptian tetradrachms occupy a peculiar moment in Roman monetary history: he had just reunified the empire after crushing Zenobia's Palmyrene breakaway in 272, and Alexandria — which had been minting under foreign authority — was abruptly reintegrated into the imperial system. The regnal year Є (year 5) places this coin in Aurelian's final period before his assassination in 275, during a campaign eastward.
The billon content of Alexandrian tetradrachms had been declining for decades; by this issue the silver is effectively a surface wash over a copper core, reflecting the same debasement crisis Aurelian was simultaneously trying to address in the western mints through his currency reform of 274.