Obverse: Portrait of the Emperor Crowned in a
Laurel Wreath
Reverse: Jupiter Standing Facing Left Holding a
Thunderbolt
Born of humble parents, Maximianus rose in the
army, on the basis of his military skill, to become
a trusted officer and friend of the emperor
Diocletian, who made him Caesar in 285 A.D.
and Augustus the following year. Thus in theory,
Maximianus became the colleague of Diocletian,
but his role was always subordinate. Assigned
the government of the West, Maximianus failed
to suppress revolts in Gaul and Britain;
Constantius Chlorus, appointed Caesar under
Maximianus in 293, took charge of these areas
while Maximianus continued to govern Italy,
Spain, and Africa. On May 1, 305, the same day
that Diocletian abdicated at Nicomedia,
Maximianus abdicated, evidently reluctantly, at
Mediolanum. As the new tetrarchy (two Augusti
with a Caesar under each) that succeeded them
began to break down, Maximianus reclaimed the
throne to support his son Maxentius' claim to be
Caesar. Persuaded to abdicate once more by
Diocletian in 308, he lived at the court of
Constantine, who had recently married his
daughter Fausta. Maximian died in 310 shortly
after the suppression of a revolt raised by him
against Constantine.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empires. This
stunning hand-struck aureus reveals an
expertise of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies.
Although Maximianus has been overshadowed in
the annals of history by the great figures of
Constatnine and Diocletian, it is certainly not
from lack of effort and scheming on his part.
Although he might not have ever held the true
power of an emperor, one could not tell from his
coinage alone. This magnificent coin is more
than a memorial to a leader; it is an artifact of an
empire passed from the hands of civilization to
civilization, from generation to generation.
- (C.0406)
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