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Tetradrachm - Diocletian L Α
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 284-285 |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and cuirassed bust of Emperor Diocletian facing right, rendered in the typical Alexandrian provincial style with visible paludamentum at the shoulder. The imperial effigy occupies the central field, with the Greek legend disposed around the periphery. The portrait displays characteristic late Roman facial features with short beard, the laurel wreath rendered in relief. The encircling legend reads Α Κ Γ ΟΥΑΛ ΔΙΟΚΛΗΤΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ, identifying the emperor by his full titulature as Augustus. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Diocletian's first regnal year in Alexandria marks the opening of one of the longest reigns in the entire imperial period — 21 years before his voluntary abdication in 305. This piece predates the currency reforms he would later impose across the empire, reforms that effectively killed the Alexandrian tetradrachm series entirely; the mint struck its last billon tetradrachms in 296/297, when Diocletian's new argenteus-based system rendered the old provincial coinage obsolete. The potin alloy here reflects decades of debasement from the once-silver tetradrachms of earlier centuries.