Featured VIMINACIUM the city

Summer of 285 AD. Viminacium in Moesia. Two armies face to face; Diocletian and Carinus will fight on the banks of the river Margus for victory and domination of the Roman world. We all know the issue of this battle, but what do we know about the city where it took place ?



The city, Viminacium, has grown in importance under the reign of Vespasian, and was under an intense activity during the Dacic wars of Trajan (101-107 AD). Then during the second century, it became a provincial capital before finding itself at the forefront of the Danubian limes from the Marcomanic wars and the great invasions of the 3rd century. Viminacium, the capital of Lower Moesia then of Moesia Superior in the 4th century, had been the cantonment of the 7th Legio Claudia Pia Fidelis, this from the 1st century AD. The city was elevated to the rank of colony under Gordian III in 239 AD and a coinage of Latin language was struck there until 255. For sixteen years (Year I to XVI) a particularly well dated coinage was manufactured there including three types of bronzes: a large bronze, corresponding to the Sestertius with a weight average 17g started from 10 to 13g from year XI, a medium bronze with the radiate crown, corresponding to the Dupondius with an average weight of 6g and finally a small bronze with the laureate head of the As type with an average weight of 4g.

Philip I Year VII


Trajan Decius Year XI


Hostilian Year XII


Trebonianus Gallus Year XIII



The coinage presents, on the reverse, the province rather than the city (Viminacium), Moesia between the symbols of the VIIth Legio Claudia (a bull) confined to Viminacium and the IVth Legio Flavia (symbol the lion), stationed in Singidunum (Belgrade). The reverse legend PMS COL VIM is for Provinci Moesi Superioris Colonia Viminacium. This coinage was produced in large quantity to make up for the missing coins, in particular the bronze coins for daily payments. Viminacium was even to become an imperial workshop from the reigns of Valerian I and Gallienus or rather under Aemilian. In the center of the Roman defense, Viminacium was finally wiped out by the king of the Huns, Attila, in 441 AD. The city was never rebuilt.


A mother and her children who died in the plague, burried together in the nooble part of a Viminacium grave.

Modern excavations at Viminacium began as early as 1976 and intensified twenty years later, starting in 1996, culminating in 2002. More than fourteen thousand tombs have been excavated on the necropolis and more than 40,000 objects have been brought to light, including more than 700 in gold and silver. Nothing having been reconstructed on the ruins of the Roman city, the site is intact and now protected. Until now, only 5% of the city has been explored... so certainly many interesting discoveries to come in the future.



Ruins of Thermae at Viminacium

Please search your collections and show us your coins of Viminacium. I'm curious to see how many different Emperors and how many years we can cover !

 

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Fascinating, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix! I was unaware of the current archaeological work being done at the site! I have a few from the city:

Year 4:


Gordian III, AD 238-244.
Roman provincial Æ 21.6 mm, 7.85 g, 1h.
Moesia Superior, Viminacium, AD 242/3.
Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: P M S C-OL VIM, Moesia standing facing, head left, extending hands to bull and lion standing at her feet on either side, AN IIII (year 4 = AD 242/3) in exergue.
Refs: H&J, Viminacium, 15; AMNG I 84; Varbanov 119; BMC --.

Year 5:


Philip I, AD 244-249.
Roman provincial Æ 28.1 mm, 17.65 g, 1 h.
Moesia Superior, Viminacium, AD 244.
Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: P M S COL VIM, Moesia standing left between bull standing right and lion left; in exergue: AN V (= year 5 of the Colonial Era of Viminacium = AD 244).
Ref: BMC 3.16,18; AMNG 100.

Year 11:


Herennia Etruscilla, AD 249-253.
Roman provincial Æ, 12.67 g, 27.45 mm, 7 h.
Moesia Superior, Viminacium, AD 249-250.
Obv: HER ETRVSCILLA AVG, diademed and draped bust, right.
Rev: P M S COL VIM, Moesia standing left between bull and lion; ANXI (year 11 = 249/50) in exergue.
Refs: SGI 4220 var.; BMC 3.18, 32 var.; Pick 136; Moushmov 48.

Year 13:


Trebonianus Gallus, AD 251-253.
Roman provincial Æ 26.2 mm, 10.80 g, 12 h.
Moesia Superior, Viminacium, AD 251/2.
Obv: IMP C C VIB TREB GALLVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: P M S COL VIM, AN XIII; Moesia standing left; at left, bull standing right; at right, lion standing left.
Refs: RPC IX, 58; AMNG I.1, 163; BMC 41; Moushmov 56; SNG Hungary 509; Wiczay 2099.

 

Great post and photos! Here’s my only coin from Viminacium:


Hostilian, as Caesar, Moesia Superior, Viminacium, (AE 26.5mm, 12.50 g). Dated CY 12 (251 AD). Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Moesia standing facing, head left; bull standing right; lion standing left; AN XII (date) in exergue. RPC IX 37

 

Same year and Emperor as mine, but with a different obverse legend :
IMP C GALLVS P FELIX AVG

 

All I have is this Imperial coin of Valerian I, formerly identified as minted in Mediolanum and more recently ascribed to Viminacium:

Valerian I, Silvered Billon Antoninianus, 257 AD [Göbl: 253/254 AD], Mediolanum [Milan] Mint [RIC, RSC] or Viminacium Mint [Sear, Göbl] [Viminacium was the capital of Moesia Superior and was located in what is now Eastern Serbia near Kostolac.]. Obv. Radiate, draped bust right, IMP VALERIANVS P AVG/ Rev. Virtus standing left, chiton off right shoulder (leaving right breast bare), holding Victory with right hand and resting left hand on shield, with reversed spear propped against left arm, VIRTVS AVGG. RIC V-1 267 (Milan) (p. 58) obv. leg. var. [RIC identifies reverse figure as a soldier; Wildwinds identifies reverse figure on RIC 267 as Virtus (see http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/ric/valerian_I/i.html)]; Cohen 258 obv. leg. var. [Cohen identifies figure as Virtus or Roma], RSC IV 258 (Milan) obv. leg. var. [identifying reverse figure as soldier]; Sear RCV III 9992 obv. leg.var. [identifying reverse figure as Virtus, but characterizing Virtus as male; ascribed to Viminacium Mint for unstated reasons] (ill.); Göbl 811d (same obv. leg.) [identifying reverse figure as Virtus; Viminacium mint] [R. Göbl et al., Moneta Imperii Romani, Band 35: Die Münzprägung des Kaiser Valerianus I / Gallienus / Saloninus / (253/268), Regalianus (260) und Macrianus / Quietus (260/262) (Vienna, 2000)]. 22.5 mm., 3.4 g. [Footnote omitted.]



I also have an Imperial coin of his deceased wife Mariniana, variously identified as being from Viminacium and Rome.

Mariniana (deceased wife of Valerian I), Silvered Billon Antoninianus. 254-258 AD, Viminacium [Rome?] Mint. Obv. DIVAE MARINIANAE, Veiled and draped bust right on crescent/ Rev. CONSECRATIO, Peacock standing, head right, tail in splendor. RSC IV 4, RIC V-1 4, Sear RCV III 10068. 21.5 mm., 3.9 g.

 

Would be great to visit those ruins! You mentioned the striking of Imperial issues under Valerian and Gallienus... here's a 1st issue for Valerian. Note the dative form of the emperor's name, "VALERIANO":

RIC 240

RIC assigned these to Milan, they've since been reassigned to Viminacium. Last I heard, anyway...

 

That's true of my Valerian, even though his name is spelled as plain old Valerianvs. See above. He looks about 15 years older on my coin than on yours.

 

Awesome writeup!!!

I like the large Vim "sestertii" as they represent some of the most affordable ways to get large Roman bronzes.

Gordian III:
$13
Year III


$12
Year V


Trebonianus Gallus:
$7
Year XIII


Philip II:
$10
Year V


Trajan Decius:
$3
Year XII


The Dacia coins look virtually identical and are just as affordable:

Trajan Decius:
$5
Year IIII



Philip II:
$1
Year ?

 

The "pompeii of serbia" well except the fact that Viminacium minted a nice bunch of awesome coins
Here my best example with a nice imperial portrait:
Emperor Philippus I. - Sesterce - Year VII

 

Great write up, thanks @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

 

Wonderful video @galba68 . Thanks for sharing. I've got to visit this place one day. Would you meet me there Galba ? You're a lot closer than me...and do not forget to bring your MD...

 

Gordian sestertius AN III

Gordian dupondius AN IIII

Gordian as AN II

Philip II sestertius AN VI

Philip I sestertius AN VIIII

Herennius Etruscus sestertius AN XII

Volusian sestertius AN XIII

 

My Md Viminacium find...Diva Mariniana..

 

One of the nice thing about Viminacium coins is that you can sometimes find emperors that are harder to track down on regular Roman issues, like the first two coins below. I found all these coins in uncleaned lots many years ago (and they look it).

Hostilian
Caesar, A.D. 250(?)-251
Augustus, A.D. 251
Provincial Bronze (AE26)
Moesia Superior, Viminacium
Obv: C VAL HOST M QVINTVS C
Rev: P M S COL VIM - Moesia, standing between bull and lion
AN XII in exergue
Moushmov 55
25x27mm, 12.2g.


Aemilian
Augustus, A.D. 253
Provincial Bronze (AE25)
Moesia Superior, Viminacium
Obv: IMP C M AEMIL ACHILIANVS
Rev: P M S COL VIM P Meosia, standing between bull and lion
AN X[IV?] in exergue
Moushmov 61
25 mm, 9.1g.

And one slightly more presentable, of a common emperor:

Philip I ("the Arab")
Augustus, A.D. 244-249
Provincial Bronze (AE29)
Moesia Superior, Viminacium, A.D. 247-248
Obv: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG
Rev: P M S C-OL VIM - Moesia standing between bull and lion
ANVIIII in exergue
Varbonov 138
29mm, 14.3g.

 

GORDIAN III
AE30
OBVERSE: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, seen from the backt
REVERSE: PMSC OLVIM City goddess standing left between bull & lion; AN IIII in ex
Struck at Viminacium, Dated year 4=242 AD
17.2g, 30mm
AMNG 83

 

Gordian sestertius:





Herennia Etruscilla sestertius:

 

From 2014 and 2018 there were press releases claiming that the mausoleum of the emperor Hostilian had been discovered at Viminacium and even that a DNA analysis was to be carried out with the remains.
I have heard of no updates since then, so this might have been a hypothesis too far-fetched (as far as I know most historians agree that Hostilian most likely died at Rome during the plague of 251 a.D..
Has anyone here heard more about this?

 

Don’t see any reports later than 2018. My bet is it was proved to not be the emperors tomb and was promptly forgotten about instead of reported

 

Here is a Gordian III of year IIII = 242/3 struck at Viminacium.



28 mm. 21.24 grams.
PMS COL VIM
Female figure holding inscribed vexilla
bull on left, standard with VII
lion on right, standard with IIII
AN IIII below.
Legions IIII Flavia and VII Claudia Pia Fidelis
Ex Berk auction 85 (March 1995), lot 542.

The bull and lion are usual on types of Viminacium. The numbered standards are not.