Isaura (AD 100-200) AE 18

Autonomous Issues, ca late 2nd cent AD. AE18 (3.10g). Head of Hercules right, wearing lion's skin headdress / Young male with long hair riding lion right and wielding sword. Good VF, brown patina. Scarce city.

Isaura was the chief city of the region of Isauria, which became part of the province of Cilicia in Severan times. Isaura gained the honorific of Metropolis at some point in this period, and all its Severan coinage has this title. This coin must pre-date the union of the provinces and the elevation of Isaura. The Hercules head is a precise rendition of the type used by Alexander the great, while the identity of the lion rider has remained a mystery since the coin was first published in 1896.