Coin, Antoninianus

This hammered silver coin was stamped at the Asia mint in Antioch (present-day Turkey) during the rule of Gallienus, also known as Gallien. He ruled during a tumultuous period marked by invasions, civil war, plague and a shaky economy. The emperor is shown wearing a radiant, or solar crown, which symbolizes the power of the sun and the Greco-Roman gods Helios and Sol.