Provincial bronze issue of Philip I “the Arab” (AD 244–249), struck at Antioch in Pisidia between AD 245–247, belongs to the colonial coinage of Asia Minor, where official Roman models were consistently adapted within a local minting framework.
The obverse presents a radiate bust of the emperor facing right, with the legend IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS P FEL A, an expanded form of his titulature including the honorifics Pius and Felix. Such extended legends are characteristic of certain provincial issues, where efforts were made to reproduce official imperial formulas, often in abbreviated or simplified form. The radiate crown indicates a higher denomination within the local monetary system, in accordance with established 3rd-century iconographic conventions.
The reverse depicts a legionary eagle (aquila) flanked by two standards, with the letters S–R in the fields and the legend ANTIOCHI COL, referring to the city’s status as a Roman colony (Colonia Antiochia). This composition belongs to the standard repertoire of Roman military imagery, in which the eagle symbolizes the honor and identity of the legions, while the standards emphasize their organization and structure.
Roman Provincial
Pisidia, Antioch, Phillip I (244-249), AE 245-247
Obverse: radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS P FEL A
Reverse: vexillum with eagle between two standards, S-R across fields
ANTIOCHI COL
Diameter 26 mm, weight 9.20 g
