Provincial bronze issue of Philip II (AD 244–249), struck at Antioch in Pisidia between AD 247–249, belongs to the colonial coinage of Asia Minor, where Roman epigraphic and iconographic conventions were closely followed while retaining local characteristics.
The obverse features a radiate bust of the emperor facing right, with the legend IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS P F AVG P M, presenting an expanded titulature that includes the honorifics Pius Felix and the title Pontifex Maximus. The presence of this full titulature indicates that the issue was struck after Philip II’s elevation to Augustus, placing it within the period of his joint rule with his father.
The reverse depicts a legionary eagle (aquila) between two standards, with the mark SR in the exergue and the legend CAES AN-TIOCH COL, referring to the city as a Roman colony (Caesarea Antiochia Colonia). This composition belongs to the established repertoire of Roman military imagery, widely employed in both imperial and provincial coinage. The eagle symbolizes the honor and identity of the legions, while the standards emphasize their organization and structural role within the Roman state.
Roman Provincial
Pisidia, Antioch, Phillip II (244-249), AE 247-249
Obverse: radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS P F AVG P M
Reverse: vexillum with eagle between two standards, SR in exergue
CAES AN-TIOCH COL
Diameter 26 mm, weight 9.49 g
