The Roman Empire
Domitian


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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

In modern English language, the adjective posthumous typically refers to something that follows or occurs after death. This meaning has evolved from the original, that of something hindmost, or last. Back in the days of ancient Rome, Postumus was a name, both praenomen (personal name) and later, a cognomen (family name), appropriate to bestow on a youngest child. The name was fairly common; for example, it was Postumus to whom Horace, a contemporary with the Roman Empire’s founding, addressed his famous poem “The Odes.” Postumus (? -269?) was also the cognomen of an important Roman military commander in the early 260s AD, the height of the Crisis of the Third Century. Postumus was protecting the Empire’s western provinces when word arrived of disaster in the east: enemies had captured and killed Augustus Valerian. The latter's son and successor, Gallienus, was busy dealing with the resulting cascade of usurpers (not to mention external enemies). To maintain his troops’ morale in the midst of the chaos, Postumus wished to distribute among them the captured spoils of a recent battle. Gallienus’ brother, Saloninus, traveling with Postumus at the troops at time, rejected the idea in favor of claiming the booty for the imperial coffers. Not surprisingly, the troops liked Postumus’ idea better, so they named him Emperor and killed Salonius. Postumus seized the moment, and accepted the appointment. The shrewd Postumus desired neither direct confrontation with Gallienus nor rule over the Roman Empire. Instead, he focused on the defense and stability of the territories under his responsibility. Therefore, instead of marching on Rome, Postumus consolidated his power within the western provinces, and soon many (notably Gaul, Britannia, Germania, and Hispania) acknowledged him as Emperor. Postumus had carved out his own new breakaway realm, which today is referred to as the Gallic Empire. Postumus mimicked many traditional Roman legislative and executive structures, including a senate and even a praetorian guard (although he should have known better). Postumus became known as Restitutor Galliarum (restorer of Gaul) and Salus Provinciarum (the bringer of security to the provinces), and successfully defended his Gallic Empire against raiding Germanic tribes. Over the next several years, Gallienus tried to eliminate Postumus and regain the Gallic Empire for Rome. These attempts failed, and Gallienus, who was wounded in the effort, withdrew - never to return – and attended crises elsewhere in the Roman Empire. Having control over important mining regions in Britannia and Hispania allowed Postumus to mint his own coins, such as this antoninianus struck in Trier in 268 AD. Like other aspects of his administration, Postumus’ coinage also followed Roman traditions, for example in the obverse radiate bust and epithet. When this coin was minted, the Gallic Empire experienced a period of relative peace and stability. The verso reflects this atmosphere in the depiction of Pax, the Roman goddess epitomizing peace, with her characteristic olive branch and scepter. Even with the relative peace, it was only a matter of time before Postumus had his own usurper to deal with. In 269 AD, Laelianus, one of the Gallic Empire’s top military leaders and governors, was declared emperor by his troops. Postumus gathered his own troops, and defeated Laelianus. In the aftermath of the battle, Postumus’ troops were looking for a reward, and desired to plunder Laulianus’ stronghold and divide the spoils amongst themselves. Postumus, perhaps not remembering the circumstances of his own ascension (i.e., Saloninus' fate), rejected the idea, and his disappointed troops killed him. Additional Reading: The Odes, by Horace. Coin Details: ROMANO-GALLIC EMPIRE, Postumus, 260-269 AD, AR Antoninianus (23 mm, 2.39 g, 6h), Treveri (Trier) mint, 6th emmision, 268 AD, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, Reverse: Pax standing left, holding olive branch in raised right hand and transverse scepter in left, PAX AVG, P to left. References: RIC V 318; Mairat 162-5; AGK 53; RSC 215c var. (star in rev. field).

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