Tarsos in Cilicia, 218-222 AD., Elagabalus, Æ 30, SNG Levante 1078.

Tarsos in Cilicia, Elagabalus, 218-222 AD.,
Æ 30 (29-30 mm / 14,10 g),
Obv.: [AVT KAI] M AVP ANTΩNЄ[INOC] , laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus right, seen from behind.
Rev.: TAP[COV THC MHTPOΠOΛЄ / AMK, demiourgos crown set on garlanded altar, beside Ciliciarch crown with seven busts and Γ - B.
SNG Levante 1078 ; SNG France 1567 ; BMC Lycaonia pg. 201, 207 ; SNG Copenhagen - ; SNG von Aulock 6023 .

Here the combination of the Ciliciarch and the demiourgos crowns symbolize Tarsos’ primacy over the regional league composed of the three provinces of Cilicia, Isauria and Lycaonia. The design did not have to be elaborate, since the presence of the crowns alone demonstrated that to the emperor, Tarsos was the foremost city in the region. On this coin the Ciliciarch crown is crenellated with seven laureate heads of previous emperors, unlike the earlier Tarsian bronze of Caracalla it has eleven laureate heads of previous emperors. The Γ B stands for G[rammati] (or Gnwmh) BoulhV (gerousiaV), a Greek translation of the Latin senatus consulto, indicating that the special constitution of Tarsos had been approved in Rome.