ROMAN. Zenobia. Usurper, A.D. 268-272. Potin Tetradrachm (6.65g). Alexandria mint. Dated RY 5 of Vaballathus, A.D. 272. CEPTIM ZHNOBIA CEB, draped bust right, wearing stephane / Homonoia standing facing, head left, raising right hand and holding double cornucopia; L E in left field. Koln -; Dattari (Savio) 5512 (this coin); K&G 108.2; Emmett 3912.5 (R2); Staffieri, Alexandria in Nummis 247 (this coin). Dark brown patina with traces of green. gVF for this difficult and very rare issue, and clearly better than most examples seen on CoinArchives. An absolutely choice coin for the type. Septimia Zenobia, widow of Odenathus of Palmyra, became the real power in the East after his assassination around A.D. 267. Ruling as regent for her young son Vaballathus, she used the wider instability of the period to push Palmyra outward, carefully navigating between Rome and Persia. In A.D. 269, her forces took Egypt, bringing the grain supply under Palmyrene control and turning a regional power into a direct challenge to Rome. Ancient sources also say she claimed prestigious ancestry, linking herself to figures such as Cleopatra VII and the legendary Dido. When Aurelian came to the throne in A.D. 270, he first focused on the West and, for a time, tolerated Zenobia's position. In A.D. 272, he moved against Palmyra, sacked the city, and captured Zenobia and Vaballathus as they tried to escape toward Persia. She was taken to Rome and shown in Aurelian's triumph in A.D. 274, and later tradition places her in retirement at Tibur. (P)

Estimate: AUD 3000