Owner Comments:
Aurelian (214-275 AD) fit the classic mold of a “Barracks Emperor,” rising from humble origins to seize power via military command. By the late 260s AD, he served as a decorated military commander under Emperor Gallienus. Upon Gallienus' murder, the troops proclaimed the great general Claudius Gothicus as the new ruler. Aurelian’s military prowess was well known to Claudius—they fought many battles together—and he was promoted to Master of Horse, second in command of the army. While campaigning against the Goths, Claudius fell ill, leaving command with Aurelian. The battles continued under the new leadership, and, when the news arrived that Claudius died, it was Aurelian’s turn to be named Emperor by his troops. Some Romans preferred the ascension of Claudius' brother, Quintillius; even so, the latter died weeks later, leaving Aurelian undisputed Augustus of the Roman Empire.
Aurelian focused his reign on recovering the vast territories that Rome had lost during previous decades. Employing his military acumen, he vanquished a long list of foes: the Alamanni, Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmations, and the Carpi, to name several. By 274 AD, Aurelian had largely restored the eastern and western provinces, notably the reclamation of the separatist Gallic and Palmyrene Empires. He instructed that a barrier be built around Rome. Today, the Aurelian Walls are the among the longest and best preserved from the ancient Mediterranean world.
In addition to his military efforts, Aurelian was known for his reforms, restoring many public buildings, re-organizing management of food reserves, and fixing prices for important goods. He cracked down on those within the Rome mint who were stealing silver and producing their own coins. This caused a revolt, which was put down harshly; meanwhile, the Rome mint was closed temporarily and other mints across the Empire increased their production (not to mention their importance). Aurelian also implemented a series of reforms to improve the quality of Roman coinage, which had deteriorated to the point where they looked almost barbaric, and only contained trace (and inconsistent) amounts of silver.
One of these coinage reforms was to replace the antoninianus with the aurelianianus (these are modern terms, no one knows what the Romans called them). The weight remained the same, but now the copper core had a consistent 5% silver coating, and the conversion was fixed at twenty copper sestertii. This coin is an example aurelianianus, minted after the reform, probably 274-275 AD. The obverse shows the radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian, and on the verso the Emperor and Mars with globe in hand, clearly meant as a boast of military accomplishments, with the words RESTITVTOR EXERCITI, meaning “restorer of the army.” In exergue is XXI, indicating its value set to 20 sestertii. Compared to the pre-reform Aurelian double denarius in this collection, this post-reform coin shows superior workmanship, and also retains much of its silver on its surface.
In 275 AD, the ever-ambitious Aurelian set his sights on the Sassanid Empire, and marched towards Asia Minor. On the way, Praetorian Guards, who thought they were defending themselves, murdered him. The guards believed the Emperor was about to execute them, the fabrication of a minor official trying to save his own skin, since he had lied to the Emperor and was subject to punishment.
The missed opportunity to fight the Sassanids aside, Aurelian’s impressive military conquests and socioeconomic reforms firmly set the Roman Empire down the path of resurgence. So esteemed was Aurelian along with his wife, Augusta Ulpia Severina, that the latter smoothly maintained rule over the Roman Empire until selection of the next Augustus.
Additional Reading: “NGC Ancients: Coin Denominations of the Roman Empire," D. Vagi, NGC Ancients article from 4/12/2011.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Aurelian, AD 270-275, BI Double Denarius (4.07 g), Milan Mint, NGC Grade: Ch MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Radiate, cuirassed bust right, IMP AVRELIANVS AVG, Reverse: Emperor standing right, holding sceptre, receiving globe from Jupiter, standing left, holding scepter, IOVI CONSER, Officina letter S in exergue, Reference: RIC V-1, 129 Milan.