ARCADIA. Mantinea. Septimius Severus, 193-211. Assarion (Bronze, 23 mm, 8.07 g, 3 h), 202-205. ΛΟΥ CΕΠ CEΟΥΗΡΟC Π Laureate head of Septimius Severus to right. Rev. MANTINEΩN Asklepios standing facing, leaning left on serpent-entwined staff. BCD Peloponnesos I -. BCD Peloponnesos II -. BMC -. NCP pl. S, XV. Extremely rare. Minor roughness and with some doubling on the obverse, otherwise, good 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.