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Coin Jewelry :
Beaded Coin Necklaces : Bronze Sestertius of the Roman Emperor Gordian III
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Bronze Sestertius of the Roman Emperor Gordian III - FJ.1415
Origin: Jordan (Geresa)
Circa: 238
AD
to 244
AD
Collection: Roman
Medium: bronze/gold/rhodonite
Additional Information: Korea
£3,300.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius
(January 20,
225 - February 11, 244), known in
English as
Gordian III, was Roman Emperor from
238 to
244. Gordian was the son of Antonia
Gordiana,
who was daughter of Gordian I and
sister of
Gordian II. The name of his father is
unknown,
as well as his own before he assumed
his
grandfather's name in 238.
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander
Severus in Moguntiacum (modern Mainz),
the
capital of the Roman province Germania
Inferior, Maximinus Thrax was
acclaimed
emperor, despite strong opposition of
the
Roman senate and the majority of the
population. In response to what was
considered in Rome as a rebellion,
Gordian's
grandfather and uncle, Gordian I and
II, were
proclaimed joint emperors in the
African
province. Their revolt was suppressed
within a
month by Cappellianus, governor of
Numidia
and a loyal supporter of Maximinus
Thrax. The
elder Gordians died, but public
opinion
cherished their memory as peace loving
and
literate men, victims of Maximinus'
oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge
of
marching on Rome and the Senate
elected
Pupienus and Balbinus as joint
emperors.
These senators were not popular men
and the
population of Rome, still shocked by
the elder
Gordian's fate, so that the Senate
decided to
take the teenager Gordian, rename him
Marcus
Antonius Gordianus as his grandfather,
and
rise him to the rank of Caesar and
imperial heir.
Pupienus and Balbinus defeated
Maximinus,
mainly due to the defection of several
legions,
namely the II Parthica who
assassinated
Maximinus. But their joint reign was
doomed
from the start with popular riots,
military
discontent and even an enormous fire
that
consumed Rome in June 238. On July 29,
Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by
the
Praetorian guard and Gordian
proclaimed sole
emperor.
Due to his age, the imperial
government was
surrendered to the aristocratic
families, who
controlled the affairs of Rome through
the
senate. In 240, Sabinianus revolted in
the
African province, but the situation
was dealt
quickly. In 241, Gordian was married
to Furia
Sabina Tranquillina, daughter of the
newly
appointed praetorian prefect,
Timesitheus. As
chief of the Praetorian guard and
father in law
of the emperor, Timesitheus quickly
became
the de facto ruler of the Roman
empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman
frontiers
weakened against the Germanic tribes
across
the Rhine and Danube, and the Sassanid
kingdom across the Euphrates increased
its
own attacks. When the Persians under
Shapur
I invaded Mesopotamia, the young
emperor
opened the doors of the Temple of
Janus for
the last time in Roman history, and
sent a huge
army to the East. The Sassanids were
driven
back over the Euphrates and defeated
in the
Battle of Resaena (243). The campaign
was a
success and Gordian, who had joined
the
army, was planning an invasion of the
enemy's
territory, when his father-in-law died
in unclear
circumstances. Without Timesitheus,
the
campaign, and the emperor's security,
were at
risk.
Marcus Julius Philippus stepped in at
this
moment as the new Praetorian Prefect
and the
campaign proceeded. In the beginning
of 244,
the Persians counter-attacked. Persian
sources claim that a battle was fought
near
modern Fallujah (Iraq) and resulted in
a major
Roman defeat and the death of Gordian
III.
Roman sources do not mention this
battle and
suggest that Gordian died far away,
upstream
of the Euphrates. Although suspected
to have
been murdered by Philip the Arab at
Zaitha
(Qalat es Salihiyah), the cause of
Gordian's
death is unknown. However, the
Praetorian
Prefect Philip, who succeeded Gordian
as
emperor, is often described in ancient
sources
as the murderer. Gordian's youth and
good
nature, along with the deaths of his
grandfather and uncle and his own
tragic fate
at the hands of another usurper,
granted him
the everlasting esteem of the Romans.
Despite
the opposition of the new emperor,
Gordian
was deified by the Senate after his
death, in
order to appease the population and
avoid
riots.
- (FJ.1415)
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