Roman Provincial Coinage
Rhesaena, Mesopotamia
Severus Alexander
See: http://numismatics.org/digitallibrary/ark:/53695/nnan8633
Photos Plate V #40-43
Description on pages 37-38
p.38 “The style and fabric of these coins leave much to be desired. There is great variety in the portrait of the Emperor, who is made to resemble Elagabalus or Caracalla or even Commodus but who never looks like the portrait on the imperial bronzes.”
Thanks numisquare for the input. The reverse design (Tyche seated left with eagle on raised right arm) appears correct for the subject piece.
I have difficulty with the ANS descriptions in NNM 108. None of the Plate V, #s-- 40-43 match the subject coin in their inscriptions. I went to RPC online and searched Volume VI with Severus Alexander and the city of Rhesaena and came up blank.
Without further evidence, it would appear that we have it tied down to an emperor and City only. Some don't give up their secrets fully.
Good observations. In RPC VI the coins for Rhesaena show Tyche seated with eagle on head, not on arm. This indicates to me that the volume is still a work in progress, as the ANS volume that shows the coins with eagle on arm was written in 1946.
What I see on the reverse legend is:
_____ΝΗ--ωΝ ΜΑΛ___
The standard reverse for this type is:
ΡΗΣΑΙΝΗΣΙ(ω)ΩΝ LEG III PS.
Note the matching of ΝΗ and ωΝ.
The last part (LEG III PS) switched from Greek to Latin. Examining the coins just before these that were written in Greek only there is an example, #31, that ends with:
ΜΑΛΕΞ.
This starts to match the right side of the legend on your coin. Definitely not a perfect match, but starting to look close.
Interesting observations about the ΝΗ--ωΝ ΜΑΛ parts of the reverse inscription. Reviewing the inscription with the item in-hand, I now make it out as:
NHΓΡΙ(INVERTED Ω)Ν MΑΛΝΤ...and agree with your take that the inscriptions are starting to get close.
If RPC Volume VI is a work still in progress, there may be a chance that the subject coin may find its way to publication, if they have a large enough sample of the coins of Severvs Alexander from the city of Rhesaena, from which to choose for attribution. Trust this may be the case.
