Ephesos, Ionia, 202-150 BC, Drachm

Ephesos, Ionia. Drachm, AR, circa 202–150 BC. 3.61 g, 17 mm. Obverse with bee, with the ethnic Ε - Φ in fields. Reverse with forepart of stag right, with ΔHMHTRIOΣ. Well-centered and evenly struck, with clear legibility of the ethnic and magistrate’s name. SNG Copenhagen 289.

Ephesos was a major Ionian city and commercial hub, and its silver drachms formed part of a widely circulating civic coinage used in regional trade during the Hellenistic period. The bee and stag types are longstanding civic emblems connected with local cult and identity, reflecting the city’s association with Artemis Ephesia and the economic importance of Ephesos within western Asia Minor.