DECAPOLIS, Gadara. Gordian III. AD 238-244. Æ (25mm, 11.94 g, 12h). Dated CY 303 (AD 239/40). Near VF.

Electronic Auction 548
Lot: 360. Estimated: $ 100

Roman Provincial, Bronze

Sold For $ 350. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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DECAPOLIS, Gadara. Gordian III. AD 238-244. Æ (25mm, 11.94 g, 12h). Dated CY 303 (AD 239/40). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from the front / Galley left with captain, oarsmen, and steersman on deck; ΓT (date) below. Spijkerman –; RPC VII.2 3624.5 (this coin); Rosenberger –; Sofaer –. Green patina, light roughness. Near VF. Rare variety.

From the Dr. Michael Slavin Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 69 (8 June 2005), lot 1229; Classical Numismatic Group Electronic Auction 53 (20 November 2002), lot 65.

At first glance, the appearance of a sea-going galley is an oddity on a coin from a land-locked desert city. But the Gadarenes never forgot their origins as a foundation by the great Roman naval commander Pompey, keeping the title Pompeion as a civic epithet. Other coins refer specifically to the naumachia, or naval games sponsored by the city, as a festival located on the nearby Hieromices (Yarmuk) River.

Closing Date and Time: 18 October 2023 at 11:59:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.