Provincial bronze issue of Trajan Decius (AD 249–251), struck at Selinus-Traianopolis in Cilicia, belongs to the civic coinage of Asia Minor, where the combination of imperial titulature with a distinctly local religious program is particularly evident.
The obverse presents a radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of the emperor facing right, with the Greek legend ΑΥ Γ Μ Κ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟΝ ΔΕΚΙΟC CEB, giving his name and titulature as augustus.
The reverse depicts Apollo standing facing forward, holding a patera and a sceptre, accompanied by a raven at his right, with the legend ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟ ϹΕΛΙΝΟΥ ΤΗϹ ΙΕΡΑϹ. Apollo was one of the principal deities worshipped in the region, and his presence on the coinage of Selinus-Traianopolis is firmly supported by local cult traditions.
The raven, a well-attested attribute of Apollo in literary and iconographic sources, is associated with his prophetic aspect. The combination of sceptre and patera emphasizes both divine authority and participation in ritual practices.
Selinus, later renamed Traianopolis, functioned as a religiously significant urban center, a status explicitly reflected in the reverse legend describing the city as “sacred” (τῆς ἱερᾶς).
Roman Provincial
Cilicia, Selinus-Traianopolis, Trajan Decius (249-251), Bronze
Obverse: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
ΑΥ Γ Μ Κ ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟΝ ΔΕΚΙΟC CEB
Reverse: Apollo standing facing, holding patera and sceptre, at feet raven
ΤΡΑΙΑΝΟ ϹΕΛΙΝΟΥ ΤΗϹ ΙΕΡΑϹ
Diameter 26 mm, weight 9.15 g
