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Pillar of the Community
United States
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Markianopolis is an ancient Roman city situated near the modern-day city of Devnya, Bulgaria in the former Roman province of Thracia. It was originally called Parthenopolis but was renamed by Trajan after his sister, Marciana. Between the years 187 and 193 AD the city fell under the jurisdiction of Moesia Inferior. The city saw a period of high prosperity until a Gothic raid ended the Severan Dynasty in 248 AD. Another attack during the reign of Gallienus in 267 lead to further economic decline in the area. 
Ruins of MarkianopolisMarkianopolis saw revival under Emperor Diocletian, and became the center of Moesia Secunda of the Diocese of Thrace. The city became an important episcopal center during it's rebuilding in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. At one point Markianopolis became the temporary capital of the Empire under Valens during his conflict with the Goths, and briefly held the honor of being the largest city in Thrace. In 447 Markianopolis was destroyed by the Huns, lead by their leader Atilla. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt the city and fortified it. 140 years after the city's fall to the Huns it was conquered again, this time by the Avars. Byzantine armies would soon retake the city and it would remain an important center in the area until its total destruction by an Avar raid in 614 AD. Markianopolis was a large producer of coinage during its heyday. Coins minted here can be easily identified because the Greek name MARKIANOΠOΛITΩN can be found in the reverse legend. Celators of this city maintained good quality longer than many other cities around the Empire during the same time period. These coins can often be found with a strong strike and good centering of the die pairs. Almost every known type shows attention to detail in the legends and in the figures that grace both the obverses and reverses of the coins. I have several coins from Markianopolis and they are posted below. I shall omit one of Macrinus and Diadumenian because it is rather ugly.  Please feel free to post coins you have from this great city for the world to see! 
Elagabalus and Julia Maesa. 218 - 222 AD. AE-26. 27.87mm, 10.92g
Elagabalus. 218 - 222 AD. AE-28. 28.19mm, 10.67g
Severus Alexander 222 - 235 AD. AE-26. 26.30mm, 9.64gEdited by ancientcoinguy
12/13/2012 5:50 pm
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
Very interesting read, youngcoinguy!!  ... sadly, I do not have any "Markianopolis" coins to add to your thread ... man, I've gotta try harder!!  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
842 Posts |
I think I will make collecting coins from this city my goal. For years I have collected Roman coins with no real purpose in mind other than to own them. Now I think I have found my calling in the realm of ancient coin collecting. I just love everything about coins from this city. They fascinate me. I will need to get a better example of the Macrinus I mentioned, which will hurt the wallet  If you all would like I can post a picture of it for kicks. Eventually I may even sell off many of the coins I have now and replace them with these coins. What do y'all think? |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
You've started some great posts recently ACG  |
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Quote:
Eventually I may even sell off many of the coins I have now and replace them with these coins. What do y'all think? I've been doing that recently, sold about 150 coins and only bought a handful. I'm fine about it too, oddly, at one point it would have been a 'no no'. Currently only two areas interest me so I'm looking to buy there and there only. |
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Pillar of the Community
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STAY AWAY FROM THE ANIMAL COINS!  ... just jokes => glad to hear that you have a new goal/target collection in mind!! ... for the record, I have spent my entire life collecting my "final" coin collection-direction ... => this year, it's Ancient Animal Coins!! (final answer?) Never stop collecting!!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
842 Posts |
Bad news, Steve! This exists: http://wildwinds.com/coins/greece/m...ch_42933.jpgThere are a lot of coins from Markianopolis that have animals on them. Serpents, eagles, lions, etc. Maybe you should check some out for your "'final' coin collection direction"! |
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Pillar of the Community
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Pillar of the Community
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=> I'm a bit curious what that coin went for on wildwind$$?  |
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Moderator
 United States
23731 Posts |
The history of the Roman Provinces is very interesting. Markainopolis produced some of the larger and more interesting coins. Your a very nice examples of these.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2838 Posts |
Quote:
I'm a bit curious what that coin went for on wildwind$$? I'm guessing not cheap, unpublished so rare: Quote:
Moesia, Markianopolis, 14mm, 1.6g.
Obv: Head of unknown person right, wearing taenia.
Rev: MAPKIANOPOLITWN, lion walking right.
Unpublished. AMNG - ; Hristova/Jekov -; BMC -; Lindgren -; SNG Righetti -; Sear GICV -; Moushmov -; Varbanov -; Varna museum -.
I am adding this coin under the owner's name and the Forum
Gallery number.
Reich_42933
Contributed by Andreas Reich of the Forvm Ancient Coins, Sept. 2010 |
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Pillar of the Community
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I have three coins from Markianopolis: Macrinus and Diadumenian  And two of Diadumenian   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1549 Posts |
You asked. Marcianopolis is not really the best place to collect if you like animals. Nicopolis has a much better selection. Many will just be attributes or minor parts of a design staring a god or personification (e.g. Apollo holding a snake). I have a few coins of the city and will put them up here for ID or dissection by whoever cares. Most coins will be found in the 5 assaria denomination which is a bronze about the size of a dupondius. There are ones appropriately smaller. Other numbers in between are less often seen and I don't have nice ones. Remember I am a cheapskate and don't pay extra for less coin all that often. IMHO the biggest numismatic feat of Marcianopolis is its being the find spot of one of the largest and most informative hoards of Roman silver. Called the Reka Devnia hoard, this treasure chest of 81000 denarii serves as a great guide to rarity of denarii from the Flavians through the Severans. You will see coins listed as RD followed by a number indicating how many coins of that type were in the hoard. Common coins have 200 while a 1 or not being listed is generally a sign that a coin is rare. The hoard suffered some sticky fingered handling before it was published almost certainly (resulting in some rarities being missing more than appropriate - there are no coins of Pescennius Niger, for example). Coin dealer Barry Murphy privately published a copy of the original hoard report so guys like me could afford what had been a very expensive book but I believe his reprints are out of print now. And now ---- the coins:  Eagle - Septimius Severus  Snake - Diadumenian and Macrinus  Castor? and horse - Gordian III  Cybele with two lions - Gordian III Edited by dougsmit
12/13/2012 7:31 pm
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
"Diadumenian" eh? ...
=> well played, you Wiley ol' dog!! ... well played
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
 ... arrrgghhh, nice coins, dougsmit!! ... but man, those are incredibly small Lions, or Cybele stood about twenty feet tall!!? (or approximately six meters tall, for the rest of the planet) Edited by stevex6
12/13/2012 7:37 pm
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Valued Member
Canada
472 Posts |
There's a pdf of the Reka Devnia report freely available at FAC (wich is currently down) |
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Replies: 23 / Views: 4,199 |
Posted 12/13/2012 6:13 pm
