Walking Back In Time From 1600 To Antiquity By Decades (V2.0)

Here is another Drachm from the Western Satraps. This one was issued under the authority of King Bhartrdaman in Saka 211 (289 AD):

There is a series of coins from Siscia issued for Maximianus and Diocletian with a secret code. In 1872, the Viennese numismatist Joseph Van Kolb was the first person (at least recorded in modern times) who figured out the meaning of these coins. Diocletian and Maximianus claimed lineage with the gods; which is why the reverse legend translates as "Defender/Protector of the Augusti." In the East, Diocletian was in the family of Jupiter and in the West, Maximianus was in the family of Hercules. These coins have the names of the gods incorporated into the reverses. The coins of Diocletian have a reverse with him and Jupiter and the reverses for Maximianus depict him and Hercules. The normal Hercules reverse is leaning on a club, but a rarer type has him holding the club with a lion skin.

There is a theory that Diocletian and Maximianus started to proclaim their relationship with Jupiter and Hercules because of the revolt of Carausius. It was "an attempt to impose a divine order on the administering of the Empire, a "cosmic unity" that would automatically exclude any usurper from a place within the Empire." (In Praise of Later Roman Emperors pg 48) It is impossible to prove, but an interesting idea.
see: William Seston "Diocletien et la Tetrarchie"


Here is a quote from Lactantius, a Christian author of the 4th century, who mocks the Tetrarchy for their affiliation with the pagan gods--

"Where now are the surnames of the Jovii and the Herculii, once so glorious and renowned among the nations; surnames insolently assumed at first by Diocles and Maximian, and afterwards transferred to their successors?" Lactantius LII


The first part of the mint mark for this issue reads XXI, which must be a mark of value-- twenty parts copper to one part silver. The next bit is the code, which is in Greek. There were three workshops in the Siscia mint at this time-- workshop A, B and gamma.


The workshop (A,B,G) can be in the exergue (bottom) as part of the mint mark or separate, in the left or right field. In the mintmark it is sometimes separated from XXI by a dot.


workshop A= I, workshop B= O and workshop gamma = BI I/O/BI for Jupiter (Diocletian)

workshop A= HP, workshop B= KOY and workshop Γ = AI HP/KOY/AI for Hercules (Maximianus)


Diocletian-- Jupiter






Diocletian
A.D. 289- 290
AE Antoninianus 23mm 4.0g
IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Diocletian stg. r., and Jupiter stg. l., sacrificing at altar, each holding sceptre; A in left field.
In ex. •XXI•I•
RIC V Siscia 263






Diocletian
A.D. 289- 290
AE Antoninianus 23mm 3.5g
IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right, slight drapery over left shoulder.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Diocletian stg. r., and Jupiter stg. l., sacrificing at altar, each holding sceptre.
In ex. XXIB•O
RIC V Siscia 263






Diocletian
A.D. 289- 290
AE Antoninianus 25mm 4.5g
IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Diocletian stg. r., and Jupiter stg. l., sacrificing at altar, each holding sceptre; gamma in left field.
In ex. XXI•BI•
RIC V Siscia 263



Maximianus-- HPKOYAI





Maximianus
A.D. 289- 290
AE Antoninianus
22mm 3.6g
IMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate, draped and cuirassed bust left.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Maximianus holding sceptre, and Hercules, leaning on club; standing face to face, sacrificing at altar.
In ex. •A•XXI•HP•
RIC Vii Siscia 580

bust type not listed in RIC






Maximianus
A.D. 289- 290
22x23mm 3.7g
IMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P AVG; heroic nude bust right, with drapery over shoulders.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Maximianus holding sceptre, and Hercules, leaning on club; standing face to face, sacrificing at altar; B in right field
In ex. XXIKOY
RIC V Siscia 581

Bust type not listed in RIC






Maximianus
A.D. 289- 290
AE Antoninianus 23mm 3.2g
IMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.
CONSERVATOR AVGG; Maximianus holding sceptre, and Hercules, leaning on club; standing face to face, sacrificing at altar; gamma in right.
In ex. •XXI•AI•
RIC V Siscia 580 var. (bust type)

Carus. ca. 282-283
AE Antoninianus. Tripolis.
RIC V Carus 128

Obv: IMP C M AVR CARVS P F AVF
Radiate and draped bust right

Rev: VIRTVS AV-GG
Carus, draped and cuirassed, standing right, holding scepter in right hand, receiving globe from Jupiter (or Carinus?) standing left, holding scepter in left hand, TR between. XXI in ex.






Numerian. ca. 283-284
AE Antoninianus. Rome (KAS)
20.3mm.
RIC V.2 Numerian 422

Obv: IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG
Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right.

Rev: VNDIQVE VICTORES
Emperor standing left with globe, holding scepter in left hand and globe in right hand; two captives seated at his feet. Mint mark KAS in ex.

276 CE, antoninianus, Tacitus, RIC V Tacitus 61.
IMP CL TACITVS AVG / SPES PVBLICA, Lugdunum, 3rd officina (C).

Severina
A.D. 274- 5
Alexandria, Egypt
#1236; Tetradrachm
21x22mm 7.0g
OVΛΠ CEVHΡINA CEB; diademed and draped bust right.
ETOVC; Nike advancing right with wreath and palm branch over shoulder; Z in right field.
Emmett 3968

Wife of Aurelian

Yep that is fine, but please get them posted before the end of the day as we will move backward to the 260s tomorrow. We are truly in uncharted territory as the first version of this thread never got this far.

I've got two Aurelian x Vabalathus but one is ugly and I can't find my photos of the other so we'll forgo those for now.

Aurelian. 270-275 AD.
AE Antoninianus.
Siscia mint.
RIC V Aurelian 225

I bought this coin in 1996 from a dealer in New Orleans - doesn't seem that long ago, until it does...I was 18 years old and $48 was the most money I'd ever spent on an ancient coin at that point in time. Didn't have a lot left over to buy stuff after that but I still had enough for a sack of beignets so it was all good.

Obv: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG
Radiate and cuirassed bust right

Rev: IOVI CON-SER
Emperor standing right w/scepter; receiving globe from Jupiter standing left with scepter
Mint *S in ex.

Postumus
A.D. 269
AE Antoninianus 20mm 3.6g
IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG; Radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
PACATOR ORBIS, radiate and draped bust of Sol right.
RIC V.4 Cologne 421; Cunetio 2465