• m13-170-0003-10
    Obverse. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
  • m13-170-0003-20
    Reverse. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

Roman Bronze/Copper Alloy Coin of Sardis

Date
End of the first - beginning of 2nd century AD?, Roman
Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
2001.0008
Material
Bronze/Copper Alloy
Object Type
Coin
Coin Denomination
Coin Mint
Sardis
Issuers
Officina
Has Mint Mark
no
Has Control Mark
no
Has Monogram
no
Has Countermark
no
Hoard
Monograph 13 Catalog No.
170
Site
Sardis
Sector
CW6
Trench
CW6 01.1
B-Grid Coordinates
E1467 / S147 *114.2
Description
This coin type: Obverse: Bust of young Senate r. dr. IЄRA CYNΚΛΗΤΟC; Reverse: Hexastyle temple CAPΔIANΩN.
Condition
Worn, corroded
Dimensions
Weight: 3.58 g; Diameter: 18mm.
Comments
170.4 comes from same dies as 170.3 and M7 GR 252. No coin comes from a datable context. Johnston’s earlier group (252) has clockwise legends, the letter form A and a reverse legend in two parts. Her later group (255) can have a clockwise or a counterclockwise broken legend on the obverse, with broken crossbar As. The reverse can have the legend broken in 2 or 3 places, with a broken crossbar A. When I returned to her series, I only found one coin with a clear broken crossbar A. However, the coins in her 252 series had temples with a disk in the pediment and acroteria. The coins she grouped in the other series (255), when the details could be ascertained, had either acroteria or disks, but not both. When As were visible, they appeared to be formed without the broken crossbar, save one. Hence, I have combined the two series that Johnston separated, as they appear to be part of a large issue, and the die cutters appear to have introduced variants on the initial design. RPC III reached the same conclusion, calling the coin Trajanic/Hadrianic.
See Also
Bibliography
RPC III: 2410
Author
JDE