ARCADIA. Orchomenus. Julia Domna, Augusta, 193-217. Assarion (Bronze, 22 mm, 5.32 g, 7 h), c. 198-205. IOVΛΙΑ ΔΟMNA [...] Draped bust of Julia Domna to right. Rev. OPX[O]MENIΩN Artemis in short rhiton running right, drawing an arrow from her quiver on her back with her right hand and holding bow in shooting position on her left; at her feet, hunting dog running right; to left, tree which extends to cover her entirely with its frond. BMC -. BCD Peloponnesos -. Apparently unpublished and unique. Minor areas of weakness and deposits, otherwise, about very fine.


In the first years of the 3rd century, a whole series of Peloponnesian towns issued their own bronze in the name of Septimius Severus, Domna, Caracalla, Plautilla, and Geta, forming, for some of the lesser-known settlements, the only coinage ever issued by these communities. As noted by Seyrig, such coins often ended up in the Near East. The most likely explanation for this remarkable cross-regional movement of local bronze coins is that they were carried there as pocket money by Peloponnesian soldiers who were recruited by in 214/5 Caracalla into his 'Greek Phalanx' to fight against the Parthians on his eastern campaign. Clearly there was no need for such an outdated military formation in the professional Roman army of the 3rd century - the sole role of the unit was to please the emperor, who portrayed himself as a new Alexander, one of most famous cases of a Roman imitatio Alexandri.

Orchomenus is mentioned by Homer in his Iliad with the epithet of 'polymelos' (πολύμηλος), meaning 'rich in sheep'. As many other minor Peloponnesian towns, it issued its coinage in the very early years of the 3rd century AD, in the name of Septimius Severus and his family. Although the coinage of Orchomenus was fairly well represented in the BCD collection, this type was missing.