Æ26 - Philippus I COL LAOD METROPOLEOS Δ Є
Features
| Issuer |
Laodicea ad Mare
(Syria Coele)  |
|---|---|
| Emperor |
Philip I (Marcus Iulius Philippus) (244-249)
|
| Type | Standard circulation coins |
| Years | 244-249 |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | 9.50 g |
| Diameter | 26 mm |
| Thickness | 2.5 mm |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Number | N# 185842 |
| References | RPC Online VIII# 8011 Roman Provincial Coinage (https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/) , BMC RE# 111British Museum (publisher). Coins of the Roman Empire in the British Museum. British Museum, London, United Kingdom (6 volumes). |
Obverse
Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Philip I, right, seen from rear.
Script: Greek
Lettering: AVTOK K M IOVΛI ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB
Unabridged legend: AVTOK(rator) K(aisar) M(arcus) IOVΛI(us) ΦIΛIΠΠOC CEB(astos)
Translation: Emperor Cesar Marcus Julius Philippus Augustus
Reverse
Eagle standing right, head left, spreading wings, within two columned shrine with domed roof.
Script: Latin
Lettering: COL LAOD METROPOLEOS Δ Є
Unabridged legend: COL(onia) LAOD(icea ad Mare) METROPOLEOS
Translation: Roman Colony Laodicea at Sea, Host City
Mint
Laodicea ad Mare, Syria, modern-day Latakia, SyriaComments
Philippus was known as "Philippe the Arab", as he was born in the Roman province of Arabia, and was ethnically Arab. He became known for being the first Roman emperor, if not openly Christian, at least strongly sympathetic to them.
This coin has a curiosity: it is a bilingual coin. On the obverse, the caption is written in Koine Greek (a Greek dialect very widespread in the Middle East at the time, which made it a lingua franca), and on the reverse, it is in Latin, which was the official language of the empire. Very interesting is the use of the words AUTOKRATOR and SEBASTUS, which are Greek words corresponding to the Latin EMPEROR and AUGUSTUS.
Julius Caesar declared it a free city, and Septimius Severus declared it "Metropolis" (mother city, or headquarters), elevating it to the status of "Roman Colony", having many of the prerogatives and privileges of cities in Italy itself, such as being free from paying taxes. However, the city had always remained culturally Greek, as evidenced by the Greek language and alphabet used on the obverse.
This coin has a curiosity: it is a bilingual coin. On the obverse, the caption is written in Koine Greek (a Greek dialect very widespread in the Middle East at the time, which made it a lingua franca), and on the reverse, it is in Latin, which was the official language of the empire. Very interesting is the use of the words AUTOKRATOR and SEBASTUS, which are Greek words corresponding to the Latin EMPEROR and AUGUSTUS.
Julius Caesar declared it a free city, and Septimius Severus declared it "Metropolis" (mother city, or headquarters), elevating it to the status of "Roman Colony", having many of the prerogatives and privileges of cities in Italy itself, such as being free from paying taxes. However, the city had always remained culturally Greek, as evidenced by the Greek language and alphabet used on the obverse.
See also
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| Date | VG | F | VF | XF | AU | UNC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undetermined | |||||||||||||||
| ND (244-249) | Δ Ε | ||||||||||||||
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Numista Rarity index: 95
This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.
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