IONIA, Ephesos AR Drachm, c. 202–150 BC, Bee / Stag before Palm

Ephesos (Ionia), Drachm, silver, c. 202–150 BC, 3.25 g, 16.5 mm. Obverse: Bee with straight wings; ethnic Ε–Φ in the fields. Reverse: ΔHMHTPIOY; stag standing right before a palm tree. Minted at Ephesos. Struck on a compact, centrally aligned flan with full presentation of the principal devices. References: SNG Copenhagen 289; SNG von Aulock 2875.

This civic drachm belongs to the long Ephesian series honoring Artemis Ephesia, whose cult emblems appear as the bee—linked to her priestesses (melissae)—and the stag with palm. The ethnic Ε–Φ abbreviates the city’s name, while the magistrate’s name ΔHMHTPIOY records administrative oversight of the issue. Produced during the transition from Seleucid to Attalid control after the Treaty of Apamea (188 BC), Ephesian silver circulated widely in western Asia Minor, reflecting the city’s commercial role and the prominence of its sanctuary.