Emperor Gordian III 238-244 AD, Antioch mint

This coin is best understood by starting at the beginning of my posts. It is the culmination and pinnacle of the Antioch ram coin series. The crescent above the ram is the sun. It is "U shaped" as the moon coming across the sun. The ram is Judea or the the lands from Antioch to Egypt. The star within the crescent is now replaced by the Imperial Roman Eagle. The power of Rome now obscurs or controls the sun. This coin may have been minted prior to the 240 AD eclipse. It symbolized the Roman victory over the Sasanian Empire and their invasion of Roman Carrhae. Notice the ram is not looking back at the crescent as in the previous series but is being dominated by the power of Rome. Photo Forvm ancient coins