The Roman Empire
Domitian


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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 3/5
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

Many Roman Emperors of the third century rose to power via their military careers. Not so for Valerian (c. 200 – c. 260 AD): noble born, he held progressively more important political positions, including that of an influential senator. Valerian became a trusted and esteemed administrator, and in 250 AD (during the reign of Trajan Decius), earned a special post entrusting him to govern Rome when the Emperor was away. During the reign of Augustus Trebonianus Gallus, Valerian was given the assignment to recruit troops at the Rhine frontier. He received an urgent communication to return and help fight the usurper Aemilianus, who was rapidly marching towards Rome. Valerian was still marching his own troops to the scene when another urgent message arrived. This time, the news was - that it was too late: Aemilianus defeated Gallus, and the usurper claimed the title of Augustus. Valerian’s troops would not hear of it: instead, they proclaimed their own leader as Augustus. Finally, Valerian caught up with Aemilianus, whose weary troops were no match for the fresh and formidable Rhine legions. The usurper’s troops took matter into their own hands, murdering their leader, and concurring with their Rhinish colleagues that Valerian was Augustus. Valerian finally made it back to Rome, and the Senate promptly approved elevating one of their own. In fact, the Senators were so anxious, they didn’t wait for Valerian’s return to declare his son, Gallienus, as Caesar. Coming from a long-established Roman family, Valerian held conventional Roman views. These included upholding Pagan traditions, and persecuting those with opposing religious views, for instance Christians. Valerian purged his imperial household of Christian workers, and ordered Christian Senators and commoners alike to perform acts worshiping the Roman gods. Those who refused lost their titles, property, and even their lives. Among those paying the price for disobedience were prominent bishops and even the Pope. Valerian had much more to deal with than Rome’s religious preferences, considering the Empire had enemies attacking along several borders. Valerian upgraded Gallienus’ role from Caesar to Augustus, and tasked his son with defending against German incursions across the Rhine. This allowed Valerian to focus on eastern threats, particularly the Sassanid Empire. In the mid 260s AD, Valerian’s nemesis, Sassanid King Shapur (or Shahpur) I, successfully raided across Asia Minor, sacking several cities, including Antioch (an important mint that was easily recovered, since the enemy had already looted and left). Later the same decade, Shapur was back at it for more spoils, again capturing eastern Roman cities, including, yet again, Antioch. This billon double denarius (or antoninianus) was minted sometime between 256 and 260 AD while Valerian was defending against the Sassanids. The obverse portrait is similar to other contemporary Emperors’, contradicting Valerian’s aristocratic, rather than military, upbringing. On the verso is Orient, a personification of the east handing the Emperor a wreath. The epithet states RESTITVT ORIENTIS, “restorer of the east.” Unfortunately, thing did not turn out as planned. Valerian was a politician by training, not a soldier (although by now, he had a half decade of on-the-job battle training). But that was not the main issue: the worst enemy facing the Romans was plague. Valerian’s troops were suffering horribly, and the Emperor was forced to withdraw to the city of Edessa, which Shapur decided to besiege. Having no good prospects, Valerian, ever the politician, decided to try his hand at negotiating with the Sassanids. Shapur did not understand the parley attempt, and/or had no intention to negotiate. In any case, Valerian was taken prisoner, and his conquered troops deployed in various engineering and development projects across the Sassanid Empire. Accounts of Valerian’s final demise at his captor’s hands vary. Those recording and propagating the events were likely colored by anti-Persian and pro-Christian biases of the times. According to one version, Valerian was flayed alive and his skin fashioned into a footstool: instead of restoring the east, he was denigrated into helping Shapur mount his horse. Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Valerian I, AD 253-260, Billon Double Denarius / Antoninianus (19 mm, 3.2 g, 12h), Minted in 256-260 AD at the Samosata mint, 2nd emission, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5, Obverse: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG, Reverse: Orient standing rght, presenting wreath to Emperor standing left, holding spear, RESTITVT ORIENTIS, References: RIC V 287; MIR 36, 1685e; RSC 189.

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