Vabalathus, Ae Antoninianus, Antioch, Ric 381A

You are welcome Bing!

First I checked out Sear's:
"There have been many theories as to the exact meaning of the letters VCRIMDR in the obverse legend..."
He has it in his reference as "V.C.R.IM.D.R."

Seeing the official title Vabalathus had, in the Wiki:
"Consul Rex Imperator Dux Romanorum" then "C.R.IM.D.R." would only make sense if it refers to this, the "V" might be his name, Vabalathus, again or...

Nice coin, I also been wanting one of these for some time. Interesting to find out what the letters in the legend mean.

i don't know if two heads are always better than one, but I know I like that coin...nice pick up masis!

Whilst it may be better to know about the previous relationships between Vabalathus and the emperors, Gallienus and Claudius II, as collectors of the AE coins of Vabalathus it is useful for us to know the meaning of the obverse legend V.C.R.IM. D.R = Vabalathus Consul Rex Imperator Dux Romanorum.




Rather than a single battle, Aurelian attacked the city of Palmyra twice.

According to Edward Gibbon (The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, chapter XI, part III):
"Returning from the conquest of the East, Aurelian had already crossed the Straits which divided Europe from Asia, when he was provoked by the intelligence that the Palmyrenians had massacred the governor and garrison which he had left among them, and again erected the standard of revolt. Without a moment's deliberation, he once more turned his face towards Syria.
Antioch was alarmed by his rapid approach, and the helpless city of Palmyra felt the irresistible weight of his resentment.
We have a letter of Aurelian himself, in which he acknowledges, that old men, women, children, and peasants, had been involved in that dreadful execution, which should have been confined to armed rebellion; and although his principal concern seems directed to the reestablishment of a temple of the Sun, he discovers some pity for the remnant of the Palmyrenians, to whom he grants the permission of rebuilding and inhabiting their city.
But it is easier to destroy than to restore. The seat of commerce, of arts, and of Zenobia, gradually sunk into an obscure town, a trifling fortress, and at length a miserable village.
The present citizens of Palmyra, consisting of thirty or forty families, have erected their mud cottages within the spacious court of a magnificent temple."

Which may be interesting, but Gibbon never mentions Zenobia's son, Vabalathus.
Gibbon was a very learned man, yet why does he not seem to be aware of Vabalathus?
That is why coins can often be more valuable to historians, than texts.

For example, the Gallic emperor, Domitianus II, was thought to be a myth, despite the existance of an AE Antoninianus of his in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
When another Antoninianus of him was found amidst a hoard here in England, did his myth become a reality.
http://www.dirtyoldcoins.com/roman/...itian-II.htm

As coin collectors, we can contribute just as much to the understanding of the past as a historian who relies only on books.

Me too I'm sold! Great coins of those "other" guys.