Silver Antoninianus of Valerian (253-260), minted in Viminacium (Moesia), 254
Diameter: 1.8 cm
Description
Obverse:
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG
(Imperator Caesar Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus)
Bust of Valerian facing right, wearing radiate crown, cuirass, and cloak fastened over right shoulder. Edge fairly circular, with a few places flattened slightly or worn away, causing part of the obverse legend to fade away to a certain extent. There is a visible ring of dots along the right side.
Reverse:
VICTORIAE AVGG
(Victoriae Augustorum)
Soldier, helmeted, in military attire, standing right, holding spear in right hand and resting left hand on shield. Edge quite circular and not very flattened, allowing the reverse legend to be more easily read. Minimal fading around the edges.
Other notes: The reverse is in fairly good condition, with slight fading on the lower to middle left side of the coin. The obverse has experienced much harsher damage, which much more prominent fading along most of the legend, but especially along the left side, where the letters are virtually unreadable.
Commentary
The obverse legend gives Valerian’s full name, with the imperial titles “Imperator” (Emperor) and “Augustus.” Augustus means “revered” and was an honorary title given to all emperors since the time of the first emperor, Octavian Augustus (Swoveland 2003). At the time of Valerian’s rule, coins would be made with the name and likeness of the emperor on the obverse so everyone would know what he looked like, since most people would not have the chance to meet him or even see him in person. Here, Emperor Valerian is shown in a side portrait wearing a traditional military cloak (paludamentum) over a cuirass and a crown that has many names including a radiant or radiate crown, also known as a solar crown, sun crown, Eastern crown, or tyrant’s crown whose origin begins in Egypt. The crown itself is shaped with a number of narrowing bands going outwards from the wearer’s head to represent the rays of the sun. In the Roman Empire, the solar crown was worn by Roman emperors in association with the cult of Sol Invictus, influenced also by radiant depictions of Alexander (Gordon and Wallraff 2006). The cult of Sol Invictus (“The Unconquered Sun”) was especially popular in the late Roman empire, with Sol Invictus seen as a patron of soldiers (Fears 2005). The Roman emperor Aurelian made the cult of Sol Invictus an official religion alongside the other traditional Roman cults and from then on the god was favored by Roman emperors and was referenced on their coins in the form of the radiate crown until the part of the reign of Constantine I (Fears 2005). This iconography aligns with Valerian’s rise to power as an emperor, as he was saluted emperor by his troops after the murder of Trebonianus Gallus and thus wearing the crown of the patron of soldiers reflects this rise to power and his further military exploits during his reign as emperor. The choice to include not only the radiate crown but also to display himself wearing military attire emphasizes Valerian’s role in military victories such as the recapturing of Antioch but also calls back to his origins as a soldier (Wasson 2017).
The reverse legend of the coin reads, “victories of the Augusti.” AVGG (with two G’s) indicates that the abbreviation is plural, referring to multiple emperors (Smith 1998). This probably is meant to refer to Valerian and his son and co-ruler, Gallienus. In 253, Valerian was commanding in Raetia and Noricum when Trebonianus Gallus sent him to bring reinforcements to Italy to aid in the struggle with the Aemilianus. Once the fight was over, Valerian’s men proclaimed him as their general emperor. Aemelianus’ soldiers deserted and killed their leader, joining Valerian. Valerian’s son, P. Licinius Egnatius Gallienus was accepted as “Augustus,” rather than just “Caesar,” the term usually used for junior co-emperors/successors. VICTORIAE is probably also plural (nominative plural “victories,” though the form could also be construed as a dative singular, “to the victory”), referring to multiple victories already enjoyed by father and son or hoped for in the future (Weigel 1998).
The reverse image shows a soldier standing with a spear in his right hand and shield in his left hand. The soldier can be seen wearing a cuirass, military boots, a helmet, and a cape that draped over his shoulders and down his back. Although the spear and the shield are iconography that can be associated with many gods including Victory, Minvera, Mars, or even perhaps Virtus (personification of courage, as identified by Sear), this figure on similar coins of Valerian and Gallienus is usually interpreted as a generic soldier rather than a divine figure or personification (see OCRE for this coin type, RIC V Valerian 225). This imagery likely serves to emphasize Valerian’s military prowess and could perhaps symbolize his ascent to emperor as a victory of sorts as well, considering the accompanying legend “Victories of the Augusti.” The figure of a soldier also recalls the Roman army and could convey a reminder that Valerian was once just a soldier, thus implying he could relate to the citizens and soldiers of Rome.
Works cited:
Fears, J. Rufus. 2005. “Sol Invictus.” In Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., edited by Lindsay Jones, 8510-8511. Vol. 12. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. Gale eBooks (accessed December 9, 2020). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3424502899/GVRL?u=vic_uor&sid=GVRL&xid=442d9a79
Gordon, Richard L. and Martin Wallraff. 2006. “Sol.” In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, and Christine F. Salazar. Leiden: Brill. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1116380
OCRE. Online Coins of the Roman Empire. “RIC V Valerian 225.” Online Coins of the Roman Empire, American Numismatic Society. Accessed December 7, 2020.http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.5.val_i.225.
Smith, Doug. 1998. “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins.” Forum Ancient Coins. Accessed December 7, 2020. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html.
Swoveland, Michael. 2003. “Reading Ancient Roman Coins.” WNC Coins. Accessed December 7, 2020. http://www.wnccoins.com/0022.htm.
Weigel, Richard D. “Valerian.” De Imperatoribus Romanis. An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. Accessed December 7, 2020. http://roman-emperors.sites.luc.edu/gallval.htm.
Wasson, Donald L. 2017. “Valerian.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified January 12, 2017. Accessed December 4, 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/valerian/.
Weigel, Richard D. 1998. “Valerian (A.D. 253-260) and Gallienus (A.D. 253-268)” Accessed December 9, 2020. http://roman-emperors.sites.luc.edu/gallval.htm
Coin Type: RIC V Valerian 225; Sear 9990
Research by: Zach Martindale, Class of 2024; Emma Kenna, Class of 2021; John Bulman, Class of 2021