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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Roman Collector, post: 3149088, member: 75937&quot;]I think the best way to describe this would be as a variant spelling. The Greek language during the Koine period was undergoing a linguistic shift known as <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iotacism" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iotacism" rel="nofollow">iotacism</a></i>, whereby a number of vowels and diphtongs converged in sound such that they all were pronounced like iota in modern Greek (EE as in feet).</p><p><br /></p><p>Since there were no dictionaries and no concept of orthography, words were spelled phonetically and I think ΔOMЄTIANOC is not necessarily an error but simply the way that particular die-engraver decided to spell it that day. It would have been pronounced the same as the &quot;standard&quot; spelling.</p><p><br /></p><p>Such spelling variants may be limited to a single die, allowing for identification of die-matches. I know I have a few spelling variations among my Roman provincial issues, but only one comes to mind right now -- this quasi-autonomous issue of Smyrna. The spelling variation on the reverse of my coin allowed me to identify it as a die-match to the SNG Copenhagen plate coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]806366[/ATTACH]</p><p>Time of Commodus.</p><p>Quasi-autonomous AE 26.1 mm, 8.01 g, 5 h.</p><p>Ionia, Smyrna, Strategos Kl. Stratoneikianos, AD 182-184.</p><p>Obv: ΙЄΡΑ ϹVΝ [ΚΛΗΤΟϹ], draped bust of Senate, right.</p><p>Rev: CΤΡ•CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΚ[ΙΑΝΟV СΜVΡΝΑΙΩΝ], Winged Nemesis of Smyrna, advancing right, plucking chiton and holding bridle.</p><p>Refs: RPC IV 278 (temp); Klose XV B a; SNG Cop. 1304.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, here&#039;s the listing in SNG Copenhagen:*</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]806370[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">*Since the publication of SNG Copenhagen, we now know it&#039;s from the time of Commodus, not Severus, because Kl. Stratoneikianos was magistrate from AD 182-184.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Note how the listing mentions that the first iota in CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΙΚΙΑΝΟV (the name of the magistrate (Strategos) Kl. Stratoneikianos) is uncertain. My coin&#039;s inscription reads CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΚ[...]. This is a spelling variation from other coins from this issuing authority such as <a href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=158708" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=158708" rel="nofollow">this one</a>, <a href="http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/281/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/281/" rel="nofollow">this one</a>, and the <a href="http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/278/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/4/278/" rel="nofollow">RPC listing for my coin</a>, which all read CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΙΚΙΑΝΟV with an iota between the Є and the Κ.</p><p><br /></p><p>Therefore, I was able to recognize that my coin was a reverse die-match to the Copenhagen plate coin, which also reads CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΚI[...] (instead of CΤΡΑΤΟΝЄΙΚΙ[...]):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]806371[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Which is apparent when compared side-by-side:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]806372[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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