Augustus Maximinus II Daia, AE3 bronze, reign 305-313, minted 310-313

Augustus Maximinus II Daia, AE3 bronze, reign 305-313, minted 310-313, weight 3.10 g, diameter 19 mm. Obverse: GENIO ANTIOCHENI; city goddess Tyche seated facing, holding branch, turreted crown on head, river god Orontes swimming below. Reverse: APOLLONI SANCTO; Apollo standing left, holding patera in right hand and lyre in left; mintmark SMA in exergue. Strike: imperial issue struck at Antioch on a compact, slightly irregular flan; normal medal axis. Toning: usually develops a dark brown to olive patina with lighter high points due to circulation. References: RIC VI Antioch 164; McAlee 170i. The Antioch “Tyche–Apollo” AE3 series was introduced by Maximinus II Daia during his control of the eastern provinces from 310 to 313. The obverse honors the civic genius of Antioch, personified by Tyche with the river Orontes, a design rooted in Seleucid iconography revived for local pride. The reverse depicts Apollo, the emperor’s favored deity, reflecting Maximinus’s promotion of traditional pagan cults in opposition to the rising influence of Christianity. Struck in reduced-weight AE3 flans as the follis standard declined, these coins circulated widely in Syria and neighboring regions during the final years of the Tetrarchic system, just before the consolidation of power by Constantine I after 313.