Catalog
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| Issuer | Antioch on the Orontes |
|---|---|
| Year | 250-251 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ƐΞΟΥϹΙΑϹ S C (Translation: Tribunician Power By decree of the Senate) |
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| Additional information |
Issued during the sole reign of Trajan Decius, these tetradrachms from the Antioch mint fall squarely within the period of his empire-wide persecution of Christians — the first systematic, centrally organized campaign of its kind, requiring all residents to sacrifice to the Roman gods and obtain a signed certificate of compliance. The mint at Antioch was by this point the dominant producer of billon tetradrachms for the eastern provinces, having effectively absorbed the function of Alexandria's coinage in Syria.
The ΔHMAPX EΞOYCIAC reverse inscription references the tribunician power, a dating device that places this piece in a very narrow window before Decius was killed fighting the Goths at Abritus in June 251.