Sev. Alex. ΝΕΩKOPΩN: what city?

[curtislclay]

AE 26-28, 9.32g, dealer's picture below.

AV K Μ AVP CEV AΛΕΞΑΝΔPOC AVΓ (AVΓ ligate) Bust laureate r., fold of cloak on front shoulder and behind neck.

Circular legend ending Ν - ΕΩKO,  PΩN right side up in exergue, Zeus seated left holding patera and scepter.

Flakes in the patina obscure the beginning of the rev. legend up to ΝΕΩKOPΩN, but comparatively few cities had that title (25 according to Hist. Numorum), so the city should be discoverable!

However a search for "Severus Alexander ΝΕΩKOPΩN" in RPC online didn't seem to show my coin or any other from the same obv. die, nor could I find the same obv. die on any provincial of Alexander in the Berk photofile.

This bust type "laureate with drapery on shoulder" appears to be rare on Alexander's provincial bronze coins.

The rev. legend might start with a C or an E, which would fit only with Ephesus, Sardes, Smyrna, or Side in HN's list of cities entitled ΝΕΩKOPOC. Style would eliminate Side, I think. Or maybe the legend starts with EΠI or CTP, though there seems to be hardly enough space to name both a magistrate and the city.

[Akropolis]

Perhaps Nicomedia.
PeteB

[Mark Fox]

Dear Curtis,

An apparent obverse die match for your coin can be found on this issue of Perinthus:

https://www.corpus-nummorum.eu/coins.php?id=3955

For the type as a whole, Schönert-Geiß's 762 & 763 in her Perinthus study seem to be the most similar.  The relevant pages from this work are attached

Hope this helps.


Best regards,

Mark Fox
Michigan

[curtislclay]

Yes, Perinthus, Schönert's obv. die B, Zeus seated type like her 762-3 from that obv. die, but my coin is from a different rev. die, unknown to Schönert.

So a Thracian coin, explaining why it is not in RPC VI online, which so far includes only coins of Asia Minor and Egypt!

Knowing what should be there, I can indeed make out most of ΠEPINΘIΩN ΔIC on the rev. of my coin. The C or E I saw is apparently the second letter of the ethnic, not the first letter as I originally thought.

Thanks for the solution to the problem.

[OldMoney]

Hi Curtis,
I don't know the number of cities listed, but the book "Neokoroi: Greek Cities and
Roman Emperors" by Barbara C. Burrell, is a worthy reference for such matters.
https://brill.com/view/title/7783

Walter

[curtislclay]

Thanks for the reference, Walter.

I am familiar with Burrell's book, and have a copy in my library.

It seems to be a very diligent work, certainly useful, but not particularly brilliant or innovative, in my opinion!

Curtis