Decius, AD 249-251, Tetradrachm

Decius, Tetradrachm, AR, AD 249–251, 9.5 g, 26 mm. Antioch (Syria) mint. Obverse legend ΑΥΤ Κ Γ ΜΕ ΚΥ ΔΕΚΙΟϹ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟϹ ϹΕΒ with laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Decius right. Reverse legend ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥϹΙΑϹ; eagle standing facing with spread wings; S C in field. Struck on the provincial tetradrachm standard at Antioch, with Greek legends and the S C formula characteristic of this series. RPC IX 1626.

Antioch’s tetradrachms under Decius formed the principal silver provincial currency of Roman Syria, maintaining long-established types and the Greek titulature of the emperor; the reverse legend ΔΗΜΑΡΧ ΕΞΟΥϹΙΑϹ denotes tribunician power, while S C reflects the senatorial authorization formula adopted on these eastern issues. The series belongs to Decius’s brief reign (AD 249–251), a period marked by the Gothic War and his death at the Battle of Abrittus, and illustrates the integration of Roman imperial authority with local monetary traditions in the eastern provinces.