Silver Antoninianus of Valerian I (253-260 CE), minted in Antioch (Syria), 253
Diameter: 2.25 cm
Description
Obverse:
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG
(Imperator Caesar Licinius Publius Valerianus Augustus)
Bust of Valerian I, facing right, wearing a radiate crown and cloak fastened over right shoulder. Border: ring of dots.
Reverse:
VOTA ORBIS
Two winged figures hold a shield inscribed “SC” between them, with a palm tree behind. Border: ring of dots.
Commentary
The obverse legend reads IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG. ‘IMP’ is short for Imperator which means “emperor” in English. ‘C’ is short for Caesar, ‘P’ for Publius, and ‘LIC’ for Licinius. ‘VALERIANVS’ can be rewritten as Valerianus. Lastly, ‘AVG’ stood for Augustus. Augustus was the Roman title meaning emperor and this title was assumed by every successive imperial leader (Smith 1999b). All together the legend gives the full name and imperial title of the emperor pictured on the obverse, “Emperor Caesar Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus.”
The reverse legend reads ‘VOTA ORBIS,’ meaning ‘vows (prayers) of the world.’ ‘Vota’ comes from the second-declension noun ‘votum’ which means a ‘vow to the gods’ (Klose 2006). Here, it is either in the nominative or accusative plural form. Vota commitments were imperial vows promising to perform pleasing actions to the gods in exchange for protection (Klose 2006). ‘ORBIS’ translates literally to circle or orb. On Roman coins it refers to the entirety of the Roman Empire. When ‘ORBIS’ is written in connection to an emperor it signifies the emperor’s possession of supreme power (Stevenson 1889, 587). ‘ORBIS’ is in the genitive form here, indicating the emperor’s possession of the Roma empire. When these words are put together, they indicate the emperor’s commitment and hope for a successful reign. ‘VOTA ORBIS’ is commonly found alongside an image of two Victories standing and attaching a shield to a palm tree. On the face of the shield are the letters ‘S C’ which are abbreviations for ‘Senatus Consulto,’ “by the decree of the senate.” SC indicated a formal resolution in which the Roman Senate had given non-legally binding advice or instructions at the request of magistrates (Kierdorf and Klose 2006). Similar images of Victories affixing an ‘SC’ shield to a palm tree appear on other coins of Valerian I (such as RIC V Valerian 295) as well as coins of Valerian’s son and co-ruler Gallienus and of Claudius II (for instance, RIC V Gallienus 460 and RIC V Claudius Gothicus 196), and the abbreviation SC occurs in connection with other imagery on other coins of Valerian (such as RIC V Valerian 155) and many other emperors before him, going back to the first emperor, Augustus (RIC I Augustus 528).
Valerian I, who ruled from 253 to 260 CE, was a member of the elite class and succeeded Aemilian by proclaiming himself emperor and killing his predecessor. The Senate approved both Valerian I and his son, Gallienus, and they ruled Rome together. At first, Valerian I had many military victories, especially in Syria and Persia. This initial success led to Valerian I being called “Restorer of the Orient” (The British Museum). Later, however, he failed as a military leader and died in Persian captivity.
The crown Valerian I is wearing is a radiate crown. This crown draws influence from Ancient Greece, where it was reserved for gods or kings who wanted to publicize a special devotion to the gods, especially Helios. In Rome, this crown was used to show devotion to the sun god, Sol, and the sun rising in the East, referencing Valerian I’s military victories (Forum Ancient Coins). As seen on similar coins in online databases (such as RIC Valerian V 295), Valerian I often presented himself with the radiate crown, which could liken him to successful Roman emperors, such as Augustus, who were also depicted wearing this crown (in the OCRE database, there are 140 coin types issued by Valerian that show him wearing a radiate crown). This crown was also used to show that this coin is a double-denomination, with the value of two denarii (Manders 2012, 16).
The winged figures on the reverse are personifications of the goddess Victory; the presence of two figures here signifies two different victories (Smith 1999a). Since this coin is dated to 253 CE (OCRE), early in Valerian’s reign, one of the two victories may represent his rise to power in 253. His first act as emperor was to raise his son Gallienus’s status from Caesar to Augustus, so father and son were co-emperors. Valerian then declared Gallienus’s son the next heir, doing the same to the second son when the first one died (Wasson 2017). This established a sense of peace during Valerian’s reign, after a tumultuous era of quick successions by ‘soldier emperors.’ Perhaps the second Victoria refers to establishing a line of succession and therefore hope of peace following his reign. Additionally, the palm tree behind the figures and “SC” is a symbol of victory, peace, and triumph, which reinforces the idea of a time of peace during Valerian’s reign (World Heritage Encyclopedia).
Works cited:
Forum Ancient Coins. 2016. “Radiate.” NumisWiki – The Collaborative Numismatics Project. Forum Ancient Coins. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=radiate.
Kierdorf, Wilhelm and Klose, Dietrich. 2006., “Senatus consultum.” In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, and Christine F. Salazar. Accessed December 4, 2020. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1108400
Klose, Dietrich. 2006. “Vota.” In Brill’s New Pauly, edited by Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, and Christine F. Salazar. Leiden: Brill. Accessed December 4, 2020. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e12208060
Manders, Erika. 2012. Coining Images of Power. Patterns in the Representation of Roman Emperors on Imperial Coinage, A.D. 193-284. Leiden: Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004224001
OCRE. Online Coins of the Roman Empire. “RIC V Valerian 294.” Online Coins of the Roman Empire, American Numismatic Society. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://numismatics.org/ocre/id/ric.5.val_i.294
Smith, Doug. 1999a. “Personifications.” Forum Ancient Coins. Accessed December 5, 2020. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/pers.html.
Smith, Doug. 1999b. “Abbreviations on Roman Imperial Coins.” Forum Ancient Coins. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/abb.html.
Stevenson, Seth William.1889. A Dictionary of Roman Coins, Republican and Imperial. London: G. Bell and Sons. Accessed on Forum Ancient Coins, December 5, 2020. https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=Orbis.
Swoveland, Michael S. 2003. “Reading Ancient Roman Coins.” WNC Coins. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://www.wnccoins.com/0022.htm.
The British Museum. “Profile for Emperor: Valerian (emperor).” The Portable Antiquities Scheme. The British Museum. Accessed December 5, 2020. https://finds.org.uk/romancoins/emperors/emperor/id/71
“VOTA Coins of the Roman Empire.” index. Accessed December 5, 2020. http://augustuscoins.com/ed/VOTA/index.html.
Wasson, Donald L. 2017. “Gallienus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last updated February 9, 2017. Accessed December 5, 2020. https://www.ancient.eu/Gallienus/.
World Heritage Encyclopedia. “Palm of Martyrdom.” Palm of martyrdom | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing – eBooks | Read eBooks online. Gutenberg Project. http://www.self.gutenberg.org/articles/palm_of_martyrdom.
Coin type: RIC V Valerian 294; Goebl 1682e Samosata; Sear 9996 (assigned to “uncertain Syrian mint, AD 255-6”)
Research by: Sarah Edwards, Class of 2023; Caitlin Wiegert, Class of 2023; Ali Mills, Class of 2024