Provincial bronze issue of Gordian III (AD 238–244), struck at Anchialos in Thrace, belongs to the civic coinage of the Black Sea region, where imperial portraiture was combined with imagery of clear religious and agrarian significance.
The obverse shows a radiate bust of the emperor facing right, with the legend IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, presenting his official titulature together with the honorifics Pius and Felix. The radiate crown indicates a higher denomination within the local monetary system and represents a standard feature of 3rd-century coin iconography.
The reverse depicts Demeter standing left, holding a patera and a sceptre, with the legend COL FL PAC DEVLT, an abbreviation referring to the colonial status (Colonia Flavia Pacis Deultum) and its administrative associations within the region. Demeter, as the goddess of agriculture and fertility, was a frequent motif in the coinage of agrarian communities, emphasizing the economic foundations and prosperity of the city.
Roman Provincial
Thrace, Anchialos, Gordian III (238-244), AE
Obverse: laureate bust of emperor right
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
Reverse: Demeter standing left, holding patera and sceptre
COL FL PAC DEVLT
Diameter 22 mm, weight 6.09 g
