Domitian, 81-83 AD, Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria

Description

Domitian, 81-83 AD, Antioch, Seleucis and Pieria, Syria
Bronze AE
12.20 g,
29 mm
Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint
Obv : IMP DOMITI-ANVS CAES AVG, laureate head left
Rev :  large S C, Θ below (control number, Greek 9), within laurel wreath with eight bunches of leaves;
dark green patina, well centered, light marks and scratches, light earthen deposits, obverse edge beveled
McAlee 410(i) (rare), SNG Cop 180, RPC II 2024
Ex Forum Ancient Coins, from the Errett Bishop Collection
The ruins of Antioch on the
Orontes
lie near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey. Founded near the end of the 4th century B.C. by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch's geographic, military and economic location, particularly the spice trade, the Silk Road, the Persian Royal Road, benefited its occupants, and eventually it rivaled
Alexandria
as the chief city of the Near East and as the main center of Hellenistic Judaism at the end of the
Second Temple
period. Antioch is called "the cradle of Christianity," for the pivotal early role it played in the emergence of the faith. It was one of the four cities of the Syrian tetrapolis. Its residents are known as Antiochenes. Once a great
metropolis
of half a million people, it declined to insignificance during the Middle Ages because of warfare, repeated earthquakes and a change in trade routes following the Mongol conquests, which then no longer passed through Antioch from the far east.