Featured Roman Provincial Coin Cities-- How many can we cover?

Ah, yes, it is an Ant! I quickly copied a greenie thinking provincial. Thanks!

 

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D is for Deultum:


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235
Roman provincial Æ 19.7 mm, 5.54 g
Thrace, Deultum, AD 222-235
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
Rev: C F P D, lion walking right
Refs: Moushmov 3624; Varbanov 2382; BMC --



Tranquillina AD 241-244
Roman provincial Æ 24.1 mm, 8.06 g
Thrace, Deultum, AD 241-244
Obv: SAB TRANQVILLINA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right
Rev: COL FL PAC DEVLT, Marsyas as Silenus facing right, carrying wine skin over left shoulder and raising right arm
Refs: Moushmov 3757; Youroukova 425, 4/II; cf. SNG Cop 549

 

Diocaesarea Cilicia: Trajan with a triskeles reverse.

 

One more from Deultum:


Julia Mamaea, AD 222-235
Roman provincial Æ 23.4 mm, 9.73 g
Thrace, Deultum, AD 222-235
Obv: IVLIA MAMAEA AVG, diademed and draped bust right
Rev: COL FL PAC DEVLT, Homonoia standing left, holding phiale and cornucopiae
Refs: Varbanov 2337; Moushmov 2623; Jurukova 164; SNG Bobokov 535

 

Backtracking! We forgot Claudia Leucas!


Claudius and Agrippina II vs Trajan and Plotina
Roman Provincial AE 15.2 mm, 3.06 gm
Syria: Coele-Syria, Claudia Leucas (Balanea)
Obv: ΛΕVΚΑΔΙωΝ, radiate head of emperor, right
Rev: ΤωΝΚΑI ΚΛΑVΔΙΑΙωΝ, head of empress, right, wearing crescent.
Refs: SGI 508; BMC 20, p. 296, no. 1, pl. XXXVII, 1; Lindgren I 2180; RPC I 4465

Sear and the British Museum attribute this issue to Claudius and Agrippina II.

However, as noted by Imhoof-Blumer, and reiterated by RPC, the obverse bust has Trajan's features, with a similarity to other coins of Trajan from Claudia Leucas (Balanea) and they attribute it to Trajan and Plotina. In addition, the reverse has the facial features and hairstyle of Plotina.

 

Another backtrack, although I wonder if this lead tessera should be included at all?

Antinoöpolis


EGYPT, Antinoöpolis. Antinous
2nd-3rd centuries CE
PB tessera, 25 mm, 7.63 gm, 11h
Obv: draped bust of Antinous right, wearing hem-hem crown; crescent before, AN behind
Rev: Serapis standing right, head left, raising hand and holding scepter; to left, ЄYC/YBA/[...]
Ref: Peus 386 (26 April 2006), lot 759 (same dies); Milne –; Dattari (Savio) –; Köln –

 

And Colonia Romula, which is modern day Seville.


Augustus, 27 BC - AD 14 and Livia, AD 14-29
Roman provincial AE 31 mm, 21.48 g
Spain, Hispalis, Colonia Romula, AD 14-29
Obv: PERM DIVI AVG COL ROM, radiate head of Augustus right; thunderbolt before, star above
Rev: IVLIA AVGVSTA GENETRIX ORBIS, head of Livia, left; globe beneath, crescent above
Refs: RPC-73; SGI-189; Heiss 393, 2; Cohen 169, 3; Alvarez-Burgos 1587; Lindgren II 69; SNG Tubingen 118; SNG Copenhagen 423.13.35

 

Such a rare and historically significant coin. Provincial all the way.


Dium(Dion,Dio), Macedonia, is located at the base of Mount Olympus. It is known for the most important Macedonian sanctuary dedicated to Zeus and gets it's name from Dios, meaning "of Zeus".

Macedon, Dium. Marcus Aurelius, 161-180 AD. AE 24
Obv: Laureate head right.
Rev: Athena standing holding patera and spear.
AE 24 (12.55 gm).
Lindgren 1059. WW.

Dionysopolis

Moesia, Dionysopolis. Gordian III AE26
Gordian III AE26 from Dionysopolis. Laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right / Sarapis standing left holding patera & cornucopia, flaming altar at feet.

Docimeium

Phrygia, Docimeium. Gordian III AE30. Athena Alkidemos.
Obv: M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ, draped laureate right.
Rev: ΔOKIMEΩN MAKEΔONΩN, Athena Alkidemos.
RPC 744

 

Late C.

Ceramus

Caria, Ceramus. Antonininus Pius AE33 Zeus Chrysaoreus
Ceramus; Asia: Conventus of Alabanda; Caria. Laureate head of Antoninus Pius with traces of drapery, l. Zeus (Chrysaoreus) standing, facing, head, l., holding patera over eagle and long sceptre. BMC Caria, Pl. XII
Magistrate P. Ailios Themistokles Protoleontos, arxas (ex-archon?)
ΑΥΤΟΚ ΚΑΙΣ ΑΝΤΩΝΙΝΟΝ ΣΕΒ ΕΥ (facing outward) / ΑΙΛΙ ΘΕΜΙΣΤΟΚΛΗΣ ΠΡΩΤΟΛΕ ΑΡΞ ΚΕΡΑΜΙΗΤΩΝ
33 mm. 19.91 g

 

I haven't had time over the past few days to participate, and you guys have left me in the dust, so I have to do some backtracking as well. Here is an issue of Hadrian from Akko Ptolemais, which is modern-day Acre, a city in northern Israel on the Mediterranean Sea. Acre is one of the rare natural harbors on the coast of Israel, and throughout history was a juncture between overland and sea trade routes. Because of its advantageous location, Acre is one of the oldest occupied cities in history, being continuously inhabited since the Middle Bronze Age. It makes you realize that ancient coins aren't really all that ancient.

This is one of those crusty Levantine provincials that might be difficult to attribute if significant portions of the legends were missing. The bust does not look much like Hadrian, but there is his name over the top of it. On the reverse we clearly see Tyche with a cornucopia and rudder. Again, it might be difficult to nail down the mint, but we have COL on the left and PTOL on the right, COLONIA PTOLEMAIS. The city was known as Acco to its natives, a word perhaps deriving from the ancient Canaanite word adco, meaning "border." The Greeks referred to it as Ake, meaning "cure," as Heracles was said to have found some healing herbs there. After Alexander the Great's conquest, the name was changed to Antiochia Ptolemais, and eventually shortened by the Romans to simply Ptolemais. So I suppose you could file it under A or P. Anyway, here is the crusty little coin. Not much to look at, but not exactly a dime-a-dozen either!

 

Mt. Argaeus was by far the most repeated theme on the coinage of Caesarea Cappadocia. It is found on almost every denomination of every emperor. A few people have already posted their examples. Here is a drachm of Gordian III...



Mt. Argaeus is known today as Mt. Erciyes...



A lesser known reverse type appears around the time of Trajan, bound ears of corn. These are far less common than the mountain, and they suggest that that corn played an important role in the agricultural economy of the region. Here are coins of Severus Alexander, with three ears, and Gordian III, with six...

 

Cremna was a city in Pisidia, of which very little is known. Its site was identified in 1874, but very little of its structures remain - just heaps of stones. Here's a really obscure one: Geta of Cremna with Mida seated reverse. Mida?...

Mida, the Greek goddess of oaths, was principally worshipped in Phrygia. She was often equated with the earth and mother goddess Cybele - whose form she takes on this coin. Evidence of her worship, in fact, has caused one of the great archeological misconceptions of the modern era: the discovery of what was believed to be the tomb of King Midas at the site of Midas Sehr in the 19th Century was, in fact something less remarkable: a shrine dedicated to Mida as the equivalent of Cybele. - Asia Minor Coins

 

I got no "D" provincials.

 

Time flies! It's E-Day.

Ephesus

Marker 7 on this map:


An AE tessera

IONIA, Ephesus. Anonymous
c. CE 1st century
Æ tessera, 19mm, 5.14 g
Obv: CKωΠI, stage kneeling left, head right; E to left, Φ to right
Rev: KHPIΛICωΔEΠPOCΠAΛVPIN surrounding a bee
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 355; BMC 186; SNG von Aulock 1875

Emesa

Marker 14 on this map:



SYRIA, Seleucis and Pieria. Emesa. Antoninus Pius
AD 138-161
Æ24, 12.06 gm, 11h
Obv: Laureate head right
Rev: Eagle, holding wreath in beak, standing right, head left, on baetyl of El-Gabal
Ref: SNG Copenhagen 309 (Γ in right field of rev.); SNG München 811 var. (Є in right field of rev.); BMC 1-7 (various letters on rev.)

Edessa

Marker 18 on this map:



MESOPOTAMIA, Edessa. Gordian III
struck CE 242-244
AE25, 10.7 gm
Obv: [ AVT K M] ANT GORDIANOC CEB, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust of Gordian III seen from behind; star before
Rev: ABGAROC BACILEUC; mantled bust of Abgar r., bearded, wearing Parthian-style tiara with rosette; star behind
Ref: BMC 144; SNG Cop 225


MESOPOTAMIA, Edessa. Elagabalus
CE 218-222
AE27, 15 gm
Obv: AVT K M A ANTΩNEINOC; radiate cuirassed bust left, holding shield and raising right hand.
Rev: AVP ........ EΔECCA; Tyche seated left on rock, holding corn ears; to left a column surmounted by a statue of Marsyas, river god swimming right at feet
Ref: Mionnet supplement 8, 26. Very rare. Mionnet is the only work which lists this coin.

 

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
AR Denarius
OBVERSE: IMP CAE L SEP SEV PERT AVG COS I-I laureate head right
REVERSE: SAECVL FELICIT dot,
seven stars & crescent
Struck at Emesa, 194-195 AD
2.95g, 17.5mm
RIC 417

 

Hmm. Well, I think this is an Imperial issue but you could argue for provincial, I guess.

Have any of you noticed the alternate/improved version of Wikipedia, Wikiwand? I came across it the other day while looking for more information on provincial vs imperial coins. Here's a fantastic page which has a timeline of when the various provinces were added, beginning in the Republican era:

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Roman_province

 

Aiolis, Elaia / Elaea, Hadrian (117-138 AD), AE15 2.78g
Obv: [ΑΥ ΤΡ]ΑΙΑ [ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС]; Bust
Rev: ΕΛΑΙΤΩΝ; Kalathos containing poppy heads and grain ears
Lindgren and Kovacs 407
Alex G. Malloy, Auction LXIII, November 2001, lot 296.

Elaia was located near the modern town of Zeytindağ, İzmir Province, Turkey. The coins depict poppies, which suggests that the city was involved in the manufacture of opium, but this is not documented.

 

Thank you for pointing out that link, TIF. It is not only useful, I found it fascinating to finally see the overall design of administration.

 

You're welcome! I'm still exploring the information on those pages. It is nice to see the timeline laid out so well. It's also thoroughly confusing my notion of what is and isn't a provincial coin!

Bing's last post, for instance: a Septimius Severus denarius deemed struck in Emesa. It looks like a typical Imperial issue: Latin legends, the design (minor style differences aside). So what is it? Imperial? Provincial? Was it struck in Emesa for circulation in Emesa? Why would Imperial-style coins with Imperial-style denominations be created alongside Provincial-style (local style) designs and denominations?

Clearly I have a lot more reading to do about this. Hopefully @dougsmit will weigh in when he once again has decent internet service and has rested.

 

I actually have a "provincial" coin from Ephesus:



MARC ANTONY & OCTAVIAN, 42 B.C.
AV Aureus (8.12 gm.) Ephesus mint, 41 B.C. Crawford 517/1
M ANT IMP AVG III VIR R P C M BARBAT Q P Bare head of Marc Antony right. Rev. CAESAR IMP PONT III VIR R P C Bare head of Octavian right.