Bostra Decapolis

Here is my example, so far the best I have seen of this type. Those of Mammaea are considerably scarcer, particularly in decent condition.

 

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This one has seen a number of varying attributions over the decades, but Arie Kindler argues convincingly for Bostra, in Arabia Petraea, where the III Legion Cyrenaica was stationed after being transferred eastward during Trajan’s Arabian campaign.
Bostra was the first Nabatean city in the 2nd century BC. The Nabatean Kingdom was conquered by Cornelius Palma, a general of Trajan, in 106 AD. Bostra was renamed Nova Trajana Bostra and was the residence of the Legio III Cyrenaica. It was made capital of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. Soon after the Roman occupation. Bosra began to mint its own coins.

Æ Sestertius, Arabia Petraea, Bostra, (previously attributed to Cyrenaica, Cyrene) 103 - 111 AD
28 x 30 mm, 19.995 g;
RPC III 5;

Ob.: AYTOKP KAIΣ NEP TPAIANO ΣEB ΓEPM ΔAK Laureate bust of Trajan r., slight drapery on far shoulder
Rev.: ΔHMAPX - EΞ YΠAT E Head of Zeus-Ammon r.

 

That is indeed a beautiful specimen - I've never seen better. What is interesting about it is that it isn't mushy like so many of them - theory being these were cast rather than struck. Yours is nice and crisp and looks struck. Lovely coin.

 

I actually did some research on this subject. As far as I know the first time coins produced in Bostra under Severus Alexander were described as cast was over 100 years ago by Hill in BMC, and everyone else is just citing his work, including Arieh Kindler. Hill had access to a limited number of coins in the British Museum collection, and all those indeed look cast. Nowadays way more specimens are available for analysis and it is probably a good time to revisit this subject.
Well, most of these coins are clearly cast, with many visible signs for that. On the other hand there are some specimens that are definitely struck, see a comparison of cast and struck coins on the pictures below:

Moreover, struck and cast coins often appear to be produced with exactly same dies!
To get an answer to this puzzle, one, to my opinion, should look at the style of Bostra coins of Severus Alexander and Julia Mammea. It is quite strikingly different from the style of previous and subsequent Bostra issues. The legends are clear and uniform, the portraits are of very fine style. Overall the craftsmanship looks like that of skilled chelators from either Rome or Antioch. It is known that at the time of Severus Alexander several dies made in Rome were used in Alexandria for production of tetradrachms. In Bostra it seems to be very similar story. Dies of fine style were sent from a central mint, however local mint authorities soon realized that these dies would not last long enough to produce such a high volume emission. Thus the locals decided to cast coins with molds created with these dies!

 

That is very interesting, and to me, quite plausible, Factor. I'm going to keep an eye out for a struck version. Maybe some day!