Phrygia, Tiberiopolis
2nd century CE
AE 22mm 5.40g
Obv: ΙЄΡΑ СVΝΚΛ, draped bust of the Senate right.
Rev: ΤΙΒЄΡΙΟΠΟΛΙΤ / ΒΟVΛΗ / ΓЄΡΟV, Gerousia and Boule standing facing one another.
RPC III 2521
This coin is intriguing for the combination of Gerousia and Boule. Gerousia was a council of elders in Sparta, though this coin comes from Tiberiopolis in Phrygia and not Sparta. Per a paper by Nikos Giannakopoulos, Gerousiai were popular in numerous cities in Asia Minor, though also in some places of the Aegean and the Greek mainland.
The famous Spartan Gerousia consisted of thirty members and was responsible for capital cases. No one was protected from the Gerousia, even the king. However, the imperial Gerousiai were not involved in law-making. Instead, they were typical in charge of the gymnasia and were primarily social institutions. They were typically made up of wealthy people.
The Boule, on the other hand, was a council appointed to run the daily affairs of the city. In some respects, it seems to have been similar to our city councils today.
These organizations worked with each other, though their exact relationship is still uncertain and likely differed from city to city.
In the ruins of Tiberiopolis was found a stunning sarcophagus depicting the twelve labors of Herakles.