The figure of Tyche on coins of Antioch in early Byzantium (337– ca 530):1
The figure of Tyche on coins of Antioch in early Byzantium (337– ca 530):1

Summary/Abstract: Figures of city personifications that served as identifiers of a specific place almost disappeared from the numismatic iconography after the first decades of the 4th century. Representations of Tyche Poleos became extremely rare and the only city personifications that continued to be spread and struck on a regular basis were those of Constantinople and Rome. The mint of Antioch represented a significant exception. Tyche of Antioch appeared on several interesting types dated in the period between 337 and the first half of the 6th century in the eponymous mint. The types dated to the 4th century represent Tyche in a submissive position towards the figure of an emperor and it is difficult to trace the iconographic prototypes with certainty. On the contrary, the 6th century Antiochene coins adopted the iconography common in older coins struck prior to the year 313 and connected with the idea of self-identification. It seems that for a 6th century city it was important to emphasize its past and heritage in difficult times when the position of the city was questioned: a phenomenon evident also in some provincial centers.

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