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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;DonnaML, post: 8301909, member: 110350&quot;]I have nothing from Nisibis, I&#039;m afraid. But the Tyche with ram leaping right above her reminds me of the reverse of this coin:</p><p><br /></p><p>Philip I AE Octassarion (8 Assaria), Second Issue, AD 247-249, Syria, Seleucis &amp; Pieria, Antioch Mint. Obv. Radiate, draped &amp; cuirassed bust right, ΑΥΤΟΚ Κ Μ ΙΟΥΛΙ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟϹ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Turreted and draped bust of Tyche right; above, ram leaping right with head turned back left; star below bust; ΑΝΤΙΟΧƐΩΝ - ΜΗΤΡΟ ΚΟΛΩΝ around; Δ – Ɛ [Delta – Epsilon] across upper fields; S - C across lower fields. 30 mm., 15.68 g. McAlee 990 (ill. p. 345) [Richard McAlee, <i>The Coins of Roman Antioch</i> (2007)]; RPC VIII Online (unassigned, ID 7493) (see <a href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/7493" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/7493" rel="nofollow">https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/type/7493</a>); BMC 20 Syria 526 [Warwick Wroth, <i>A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 20, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Syria</i> (London, 1899) at p. 215]. <i>Purchased from Kenneth W. Dorney, Feb. 2022</i>.*</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1468823[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>*<u>Second Issue, Star below Tyche. Octassarion</u>: See McAlee at p. 327:</p><p><br /></p><p>“The <i>aes </i>coinage of Philip I and his family can be divided into two issues. The first issue, struck from 244 to c.247, is characterized by an obverse legend for Philip I which includes ‘MA.IOVΛ.’ (or, rarely, ‘MA. IOVΛI.’), a reverse legend ending ‘ΚΟΛΩ.’, and the absence of a star below the bust of Tyche on the largest denomination. The second issue, struck from c. 247 to 249, is characterized by an obverse legend for Philip I which includes ‘M. IOVΛI.’, a reverse legend ending ‘ΚΟΛΩΝ.’, and the presence of a star below the bust of Tyche on the largest denomination. The coins of the first issue are larger and heavier than those of the second issue, and are not as common as those of the second issue. It is apparent that Philip reformed the bronze coinage by reducing its weight, and that the mint marked the reformed coins with a star below the bust of Tyche.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The large denomination (eight assaria) consistently employs a bust of Tyche as the reverse type. . . . A scarce medium denomination (four assaria) was struck with reverse Apollo standing, and a very rare type with reverse Tyche standing. Both reverse types appear on the medium denomination <i>aes</i> of later emperors.”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><u>Ram</u>: See Butcher, Kevin<i>, Coinage in Roman Syria: 64 BC-AD 253</i> (PhD Thesis, University of London, 1991) (available at <a href="https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10121055/1/Butcher_10121055_thesis.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10121055/1/Butcher_10121055_thesis.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10121055/1/Butcher_10121055_thesis.pdf</a>) at p. 369:</p><p><br /></p><p>“The ram which appears as a type or subsidiary device on Antiochene coinage is thought to represent Aries, perhaps the zodiacal sign under which the city was founded (or subsequently refounded). On the reverses of civic bronzes it is usually accompanied by a star, or a star and crescent, strongly suggesting that it is indeed an astral symbol. Although the type is not known on Antiochene coinage before the reign of Augustus, this does not necessarily mean that it is late in date; the Tyche of Antioch, set up in the early third century BC, does not occur on coins until the first century BC.”</p><p><br /></p><p>See also McAlee at p. 8: “Another symbol seen on both silver and bronze coins, and as a primary type on the reverse of some civic coins, is a ram, usually depicted as a leaping or running figure looking backwards. It is likely that the ram is a zodiacal symbol (Aries), perhaps referring to the time of year at which the city was founded.”</p><p><br /></p><p>[Remainder of footnote, analyzing the meaning of the</p><p>Δ – Ɛ (Delta-Epsilon), and of the S – C (Senatus Consulto) in a Roman Provincial context, is still unwritten, even though I did all the research a while ago!][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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