Pyramid in Cappadocia?

In AD 100/101, during the reign of Emperor Trajan (regnal year 3 of Trajan’s rule), the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia (central Anatolia) issued a small bronze coin under the authority of Titus Pomponius Bassus, presbeutēs (Greek for envoy or magistrate). T. Pomponius Bassus is established as governor as early as 95/96 A.D. Known to have been consul suffectus at Rome in September, 93, he probably became governor of Cappadocia in 94 AD.

Pliny wrote to T. Pomponius Bassus circa 104/5 AD.

"I have been delighted to hear from our mutual friends that you map out and bear your retirement in a way that is worthy of your ripe wisdom, that you live in a charming spot, that you take exercise on both sea and land, that you have plenty of good conversation, that you read a great deal and listen to others reading, and that, though your stock of knowledge is vast, you yet add thereto every day. That is just the way a man should spend his later years after filling the highest magistracies, after commanding armies, and devoting himself wholly to the service of the State for as long as it became him to do so."
-Pliny, Epistulae, IV.23

This Roman provincial coin (catalogued as RPC III 3133, Sydenham 236, Ganschow 150) is “pseudo-autonomous,” meaning it carries a city deity rather than the emperor’s portrait. On the obverse it features the turreted bust of Tyche, the city’s patron goddess (identifiable by her mural crown symbolizing city walls). The reverse, however, depicts a striking pyramid-like structure, accompanied by the Greek legend ΕΠΙ ΒΑϹϹΟΥ and date ΕΤ Γ (translating to “under Bassus, year 3”).

This triangular pyramid icon is highly unusual for a coin minted in Cappadocia, a region far from Egypt, prompting questions about its meaning and origin. Why would a “pyramid” appear on a coin from Caesarea? Is this the result of Egyptian influence or a local Cappadocian symbol.

Photo by İbrahim Aksu /Türkiye via Pinteret

Mount Argaeus: The Sacred Mountain of Cappadocia

Most evidence suggests that the “pyramid” on Bassus’s coin is not a literal Egyptian pyramid, but a stylized representation of Mount Argaeus (Ancient Greek Argaios), the towering volcanic mountain that dominated the landscape of Cappadocia.

Modern numismatic descriptions explicitly call this reverse image an abstract pyramidal rendition of Mount Argaeus. Mount Argaeus (today Erciyes Dağı, near modern Kayseri) was the highest peak in Asia Minor and held sacred significance for centuries. Even in Hittite times the mountain was venerated (called “the White” in Hittite records) and later regarded as divine.

Mount Argaeus is a common feature on coins of Cappadocia, however it is usually not an abstract rendition. Here is a more common depiction on a drachm of Gordian III:

Cappadocia became a Roman province in 17 AD. By Trajan’s time, the cult of Mount Argaeus seems to have been encouraged as an expression of regional identity within the empire.

Another possibility is that the coin depicts a “pyramid-shaped baetyl,” i.e. a sacred stone, implying an aniconic idol. This concept of a conical or pyramidal baetyl fits well with Near Eastern religious practices. Throughout the Eastern provinces, many communities worshiped gods in the form of meteorites or stone pillars. This coin (not mine: Agora Sale 75 2018) from the time of Trajan shows a conical baetyl (sacred cone) of Zeus Kaisos in a canopied tetrastyle shrine. See RPC III 3766.

Egyptian or Other Eastern Influences on the Iconography

Given the pyramid shape of the Argaeus symbol, one might ask if Egyptian influence played a role in its design. It is true that the shape immediately calls to mind the pyramids of Egypt, and Roman fascination with Egypt was high after the incorporation of Egypt as a province.

However, in this case the resemblance is coincidental, not a direct depiction of an Egyptian pyramid. There is no historical record of an actual pyramid monument in Cappadocia, nor any event around 100 AD linking Caesarea to Egypt that would warrant commemorating Giza’s wonders on a local coin.

In numismatic forums, collectors have speculated whether this could be the earliest coin showing an Egyptian pyramid, but the conclusion aligns with scholarly views: it is a pyramid in form only.

Numismatic Analysis and Comparisons

From a numismatic perspective, the Tyche/pyramid coin of Titus Pomponius Bassus is a well-documented type. It appears to be part of a series of bronze coins struck in Caesarea during Trajan’s reign that feature the city goddess and the Argaeus symbol with varying dates. Bassus’s issue of year 3 (100/101 AD) is one of the earliest of these.

Later years under Trajan show the same iconography under different officials: for example, in Trajan’s regnal year 16 (113/114 AD), the governor Marcus Junius Homullus issued a quarter unit with Tyche on the obverse and a pyramid-shaped Argaeus on the reverse, dated ET IϚ (Year 16). Year 14 of Trajan (111/112 AD) is also known with this type (legend ET ΔΙ for 14), and numismatic listings suggest year 5 (ET Ε).

The recurrence of the pyramid device across multiple years and magistrates confirms it was a standard civic reverse type for Caesarea’s minor coinage in this era, not a one-off oddity. It was evidently a meaningful emblem for the city.

Scholarly commentary on this specific coin type emphasizes its local character. It is classified as a “pseudo-autonomous” or city coinage issue, meaning Trajan’s portrait and titles are absent; instead, the city’s own symbols take center stage, albeit struck with imperial permission (hence the inclusion of the regnal year). The Greek legend names the magistrate Bassus – an unusual but not unheard-of practice in Eastern provincial mints, where high officials or priests were sometimes credited on coins. (In fact, Titus Pomponius Bassus is known from other coins and inscriptions; he had earlier served as legatus under Domitian, and here under Trajan appears with the title presbeutēs, indicating a prominent role in administering the province’s affairs.)

The choice of Tyche on obverse reinforces the civic nature of the coin: Tyche symbolizes Fortune and prosperity of the city, often depicted with a crown of towers as she is here. Pairing Tyche with the image of Argaeus on the reverse essentially unites City and Mountain – the two protectors or emblems of Caesarea – in one piece of currency. This design would have been instantly recognizable to local inhabitants, even if the pyramid shape might puzzle outsiders.

Conclusion

The appearance of a pyramid-shaped design on a coin from Roman Cappadocia is not a random homage to Egyptian monuments, but rather a reflection of Cappadocia’s own cultural and religious landscape under the Roman Empire. The “pyramid” is best understood as a stylized representation of Mount Argaeus, the sacred mountain that loomed over Caesarea and embodied the region’s identity. Historically, Argaeus had deep spiritual significance for the locals, and the Roman administration leveraged that by featuring it on coins – especially in a period when integrating local cults into the imperial fold was politically useful.

Sources

• RPC III, 3133: Roman Provincial Coinage Vol. III (Trajan), entry 3133 for Caesarea, Cappadocia – lists the coin of T. Pomponius Bassus, Year 3 with Tyche obverse and pyramid (Mount Argaeus) reverse.

• T. Ganschow, Münzen von Kappadokien (2018) – no. 150, 153, etc., listing Cappadocian coins with the pyramid/Argaeus reverse (Bassus year 3, Homullus year 16).

• Metcalf, William E. The Silver Coinage of Cappadocia, Vespasian–Commodus. Numismatic Notes and Monographs, no. 166. New York: American Numismatic Society, 1996.

• Hakman, Meral. “Identification of a New Cult in Cappadocia: Zeus Argaios.” Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi / The Journal of International Social Research 10, no. 54 (2017): 464–468. https://doi.org/10.17719/jisr.20175434610.