Watch List notes:

MESOPOTAMIA. Hatra. Pseudo-autonomous issue, early-mid-2nd century AD. AE (Bronze, 26 mm, 8.90 g, 11 h). Radiate head of the sun god Shamash to right. Rev. Large C S; above, eagle standing right with wings spread and head to left; all within laurel wreath. Slocum Series 1. Walker Type A. A very interesting overstrike. Very fine.


This coin was overstruck on an issue of Trajan from Laodicea ad Mare (RPC III 3795-3798): we can still read СЄΒ ΓЄΡ ΔΑΚ on the obverse and ΙΟΥΛΙЄωΝ ΤωΝ. Trajan famously failed to conquer Hatra, and the fact that the people of Hatra overstruck a coin of his is as much a derision of Roman power as is the reversed S C on the back of the coin.