FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board

Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => Roman Provincial Coins Discussion Forum => Topic started by: zoser on August 11, 2019, 07:21:34 am

Title: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: zoser on August 11, 2019, 07:21:34 am

AE 19
on the left hand site of Serapis it seems to be writen: COLOMIAN

Any help will be really apreciated.
King regards

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: Altamura on August 11, 2019, 07:41:06 am

Here is something similar from Caracalla: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=250924
but I'm not really shure.

Regards

Altamura

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: Altamura on August 11, 2019, 12:08:39 pm

There is an article about "Deities from Egypt on Coins of Southern Levant" by Laurent Bricault:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/50541237.pdf

On page 124 there is a table showing under which emperor there have been coins from Ake-Ptolemais with bust of Serapis.
Perhaps this helps.

Regards

Altamura

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: Juan R on August 11, 2019, 01:25:09 pm

Sure,it comes from Ake-Ptolemais.

Regards
Juan

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: shanxi on August 11, 2019, 02:38:53 pm

Above the head you can read SEV followed by ALEXAN...,and before the SEV there is possibly AVR or AVB.

So, the readable part of the legend is "AV(RorB) SEV ALEXANDER" for Severus Alexander,

and the coin comes from one of the cities with a COLONIA legend.

Therefore, I think this is Severus Alexander with Zeus-Ammon reverse from Bostra:

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=5833362
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3952994
https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=603194

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: zoser on August 12, 2019, 10:49:56 am

Hi Altamura and Shanxi, yes it seems to be Severus Alexander from Bostra, thanks so much, I did rally be it was from Ake-Ptolemais, so would have never found it.

All the best

Title: Re: provincial to ID Phoenicia? if so maybe Ake-Ptolemais? Serapis on rev
Post by: Edessa on August 13, 2019, 12:27:49 pm

I barely know enough history to comment, but just FYI, in "The Coinage of Bostra", A. Kindler notes that Zeus-Ammon/Sarapis is the patron deity of legio III Cyrenaica, long stationed at Bostra. He believes the use of Zeus-Ammon/Sarapis as the insignum of the third legion Cyrenaica on the coinage of Bostra is an expression of harmony between the garrison and the city. This expression of loyalty may have been important considering the history of revolts in the region and the growing Persian threat.