Silandos (AD 161-169) AE 34 - Lucius Verus

Lucius Verus, 161-169 AD. AE34 (24.87g, 6h). Aulus Attalianus, strategus. Laureate and cuirassed bust left / EΠ[I • CT A ATTAΛI]NOV • AP CIΛANΔ, ΔAKIKOC/ EΠIMEΛE, statue of Dionysus, holding thyrsus, within tetrastyle temple; globe in pediment. Fine, black patina, some light roughness.

According to Imhoof-Blumer, this magistrate's name and office also appears on a coin of the same city struck for Severus Alexander. His suggestion that it is a new cognomen is noteworthy, since it may refer to the family's ultimate point of origin, and reflect some connection with Trajan's Dacian Wars. Given the presence of a Dacicus in a position of such prominence and influence almost five decades apart (whether the same individual or, much more likely, relatives), it is clear that the affluence of the Empire of the second century AD allowed for the rapid advancement of former slaves and freedman, so that they too had the wherewithal to perform the duties indicative of the provincial elite. The possibility that Dacicus is some heretofore unknown office is otherwise unsupported.