The Coinage of the Peloponnese Under Septimius Severus

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/cj82k771x

Abstract

During the reign of the emperor Septimius Severus the Peloponnese experienced a boom in civic minting. Prior to this, approximately ten cities had intermittently issued coins during the Imperial period, but under Severus that number grew to forty-three. I have compiled a catalog of 1113 published examples of Severan coins of the Peloponnese, which serves as the foundation for this study. In Chapter 2 I address the question of mint organization and conclude that Corinth, either by serving as a central mint or by supplying itinerant craftsmen, was responsible for much of the coinage struck during this period. In the next chapter, I argue that the reason for increased minting activity in the Peloponnese during this period may be a policy of decentralized bronze coinage production under Severus. Finally, I explore the iconography used on these coins, paying particular attention to the tendency of cities to choose "local" subjects.

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