Decius, AD 249-251, Tetradrachm

Decius, Tetradrachm, AR, AD 249–251, Antioch; 11.30 g, 25 mm. Obv. ΑΥΤ Κ Γ ΜΕ ΚΥ ΔΕΚΙΟϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥϹΙΑϹ; eagle standing facing with wings spread, head left, wreath in beak; S C in field. Struck at Antioch on the standard broad flan of the Syrian tetradrachm series, with Greek legends and the Senatus Consulto control mark. RPC IX 1626; RPC Online records 6 examples.

Struck during Decius’s brief reign amid the early phase of the third-century crisis, this Antiochene tetradrachm represents the principal silver-provincial currency of Roman Syria used to pay the eastern garrisons and local administration. The Greek legend references the emperor’s tribunician power, while the S C mark continues the traditional Roman senatorial authorization formula on Syrian tetradrachms. Issued shortly before Decius’s death at Abritus in AD 251, the type reflects the empire’s reliance on regional mints to sustain military operations in the East.