The Roman Empire
Domitian


Obverse
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Coin Details

  

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

Owner's Description

The deposition of Romulus Augustulus, and subsequent creation of an Italian Kingdom by the military commander Odoacer, is widely described as the official fall of the Western Roman Empire. Even before these events transpired in 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire as a territorial entity had already become unrecognizable. Rome as a political structure, however, lived on; Odoacer established and exercised power with cooperation of the Roman Senate, which largely maintained their important administrational offices. Even so, Constantinople grew increasingly displeased with these developments, eventually recruiting Theoderic (455 – 526 AD) as Odoacer's replacement. Theodoric (455 - 526 AD) was the son of the Ostrogoth King Theodemir. The latter agreed to a peace with Augustus Leo in exchange for three hundred pounds of gold annually. As insurance, Leo insisted on taking custodianship of Theodoric. The imperial hostage was raised and educated by Constantinople's best teachers, with a focus on the military, rather than scientific, arts. Treated with favor by Leo and his successor, Augustus Zeno, Theoderic earned the role of magister militum (Master of Soldiers) in 483 AD. In another year, he was appointed consul. Eventually, Theoderic returned to his people, and succeed his father as their King in 488 AD. That same year, Theoderic was enlisted by Zeno to deal with Odoacer, the self-proclaimed King of Italy who was increasingly falling out of favor with Constantinople. With Zeno’s support, Theoderic and his Ostrogoths invaded Italy. Within several years, Theoderic had won several major battles, including the takeover of Odoacer’s capital city of Ravenna. At this point, Odoacer agreed to a truce, and formal division of power. The two leaders signed an agreement, and a grand banquet was held to celebrate the cease in hostilities. The climax of the party was a stirring speech by Theoderic promising Italy peace and unity; backing up his words with action, he concluded his speech by killing the drunk and defenseless Odoacer. Like his predecessor, Theoderic was ostensibly a viceroy for Zeno. In reality, his rule was relatively independent from Constantinople. Even so, Theoderic maintained the political and administrational structures of Rome, including the Roman Senate. Roman citizens remained living within the eternal city, subject to Roman laws, and free to practice their preferred religion, namely Chalcedonian Christianity. The Ostrogoths, meanwhile, lived mostly outside Rome, subject to their own laws and customs, and free to practice their preferred Arian religious views. While the Romans held most of the important political offices under Theoderic’s reign, the Ostrogoths filled the critical military leadership positions. In essence, except for a few quirks such as having an Ostrogoth ruler, Rome carried on as it had in days past. Theoderic also maintained Rome’s economic traditions, including the production of coinage. This coin, struck in Rome sometime in late 5th or early 6th century AD provides an example. The coin’s design reflects a classic Roman sensibility, albeit with a decidedly Gothic flair. The obverse portrait is attributed by NGC Ancients to Tyche, the deity governing the fortune and prosperity of a city. Tyche was a popular numismatic device during times of uneasy change and uncertain future, for example, she was popular on Roman coins a century earlier, during the final days of publically sanctioned Paganism. For the current coin, Tyche represents the city of Ravenna, the capital of the Ostrogoth Kingdom, deduced from the inscription, FELIX R AVENNA. In exergue on the reverse, the coin’s denomination is marked (X for 10 nummi, or decanummium, one of several heavy bronze coins introduced in 498 AD). Within the wreath that circumscribes the reverse flan is a monogram representing Ravenna and Theoderic’s Ostrogoth regime. At least for a while, Tyche’s good fortunes were bestowed upon Ravenna and the Ostrogoth Kingdom, although Theoderic deserves a fair amount of credit. By all historical accounts he was an effective, wise, and just ruler. Theoderic expanded his territory (which stretched from Gaul to Dacia at its largest extent) by combination of military conquests and alliances by marriages with neighboring royal families (Visigoths, Burgundians, and the Franks). The height of his realm - albeit brief and late in historical context - belongs among Rome’s golden ages. Theoderic died in 526 AD, after ruling three decades, a tenure only rivaled by the likes of Augustus and Constantine the Great. This longevity reflects a dedication to the welfare of his subjects, and at the core a passion for the Roman way of life. “The wandering birds love their own nests; the beasts haste to their own lodgings in the brake; the voluptuous fish, roaming the fields of ocean, returns to its own well-known cavern. How much more should Rome be loved by her children!” - From the letters of Theoderic, written by his secretary, the Roman statesman Cassiodorus. Additional Reading: “Theoderic, the Goths, and the Restoration of the Roman Empire,” J A Arnold, 2008. Coin Details: OSTROGOTHS, Theoderic, 493-526, Æ 10 Nummi (15mm, 2.97 g, 6h), Rome mint, Struck circa 493-518, NGC Grade: XF, Strike: 4/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Turreted bust of Ravenna right, Reverse: Monogram within wreath, References: COI 78; MEC 1, 145.

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