A rather
rare one - it seems!
This is a piece from
Galatia, Pessinus (Pessinos).
Struck under
Geta, as Caesar, 197-209,
AE18 3.59g Obv:
Π CΕΠ ΓΕTΑC KΑΙC; Rev:
ΠΕCCINOYNTIΩΝ, Reclining
river god (Gallos [
RPC],
or perhaps Sangarios [HN]).
A
search of all of the major online references, and many of the hard-copy references, has revealed no other
matching or similar examples.
There is nothing on
ISEGRIM,
AsiaMinorCoins,
ACSearch,
Wildwinds, etc., although a
search of the
BnF did reveal
a couple of
obverse die matches (one with
Telesphorus, the other with a
hexastyle temple).
The
reverse type of river-god reclining is only recorded for
Antoninus Pius (
RPC online records nine examples), and
perhaps a single example of
Faustina Jnr.
For
Geta,
and apparently the Severans generally, there appears to be no other known example, and no presently
known prototype. As a result, this appears to be unique.
If anyone knows of any other examples, please let me know. Enjoy!
- Walter
edit: a colleague has now informed me of an article about the coinage of this city, but I do not (yet) have access to it:
Edward
Dandrow "
The Coinage of Pessinus: Iconography, Civic Identity and Roman Power", pp. 429-63.
We'll have to wait and see what that may indicate about this (apparently) very
rare item.
