Aurelian - 270-275 A.D. - Antoninianus Æ - CONCORDIA MILITVM / P* in exergue

Description: RIC V Aurelian 216 - RIC V online 2214 Date: 272 – 274 Denomination: Antoninianus Mint: Siscia Obverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG: Bust of Aurelian, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right. Reverse: CONCORDIA MILITVM / (star) Q in exergue: Aurelian, togate, standing right, clasping hand of Concordia, standing left Weight: 2.60g Diameter: 22.00mm Aurelian - (Latin: Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; September 9th 214 - c. October 275) was Roman emperor from 270 to 275. His reign featured an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had practically disintegrated under the pressure of barbarian invasions & internal revolts. His successes were instrumental in ending the Crisis of the 3rd Century, earning him the title “Restitutor Orbis – "Restorer of the World". Born in humble circumstances he rose through the military ranks to become emperor. During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians & Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following year he conquered the Gallic Empire in the west, reuniting the Empire in its entirety. He was also responsible for the construction of the Aurelian Walls in Rome, the abandonment of the province of Dacia & monetary reform. Although Domitian, 2 centuries previous, was the 1st emperor who had demanded to be officially hailed as dominus et deus (master & god), these titles never occurred in written form on official documents until the reign of Aurelian. Death - The deaths of the Sassanid Kings Shapur I (272) & Hormizd I (273) in quick succession & the rise to power of a weakened ruler (Bahram I), presented an opportunity to attack the Sassanid Empire & in 275 Aurelian set out for another campaign against the Sassanids. On his way, the Aurelian suppressed a revolt in Gaul, possibly against Faustinus, an officer or usurper of Tetricus & defeated barbarian marauders in Vindelicia (Germany). However, Aurelian never reached Persia, as he was murdered while waiting in Thrace to cross into Asia Minor. As an administrator, Aurelian had been very strict & handed out severe punishments to corrupt officials or soldiers. A secretary of Aurelian (called Eros by Zosimus) had told a lie on a minor issue. In fear of what the emperor might do, he forged a document listing the names of high officials marked by the emperor for execution & showed it to collaborators. The notarius Mucapor & other high-ranking officers of the Praetorian Guard, fearing punishment from the Emperor, murdered him in September 275, in Caenophrurium, Thrace (modern Turkey). Aurelian's enemies in the Senate briefly succeeded in passing damnatio memoriae on the Emperor, but this was reversed before the end of the year & Aurelian, like his predecessor Claudius II, was deified as Divus Aurelianus. There is substantial evidence that Aurelian's wife Ulpia Severina, who had been declared Augusta in 274, may have ruled the Empire by her own power for some time after his death. The sources indicate that there was an interregnum between Aurelian's death & the election of Marcus Claudius Tacitus as his successor. Additionally, some of Ulpia's coins appear to have been minted after Aurelian's death.

Price: 34.95 USD

Location: Williamsburg, Virginia

End Time: 2024-11-19T16:40:57.000Z

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