"Oriens Augusti". Kaiserpanegyrik und Perserkriegspropaganda auf Münzen der Stadt Side in Pamphylien unter Valerian und Gallienus (253-268)

Abstract

On the city coins of Side in Pamphylia in the time of Valerianus and Gallienus the Imperial busts are combined with additional marks: an eagle with spread wings, a starlike sun and an arrow. They signify the importance of the Imperial house for the stability of the Empire and especially emphasize the victory over the Persians. Eagle and sunlike star, struck in the time between A. D. 254 and A. D. 259, allude to the divine appointment of those imperial persons and to their godlike personality. They further point out their military successes, real or prospective. By an arrow underneath the bust of Gallienus, struck from A. D. 264 on, the citizens of Side propagate a supreme power, won over the Persian Empire, an emblem of their claims. By these coins the city of Side not only presents herself as a loyal ally of Rome, she too points out its immense importance as a supply base for the Eastern frontier

Suggested citation

Nollé, Johannes: "Oriens Augusti". Kaiserpanegyrik und Perserkriegspropaganda auf Münzen der Stadt Side in Pamphylien unter Valerian und Gallienus (253-268). In: Jahrbuch für Numismatik und Geldgeschichte 36 (1986), pp. 127–143, Tf.18-19.