Nemeses! Post yours!

Kind of bored so I thought this might make for a good and interesting thread, to post coins of two rulers/important figures that were enemies of one another, and why they were hostile towards each other.

Justinian, Byzantine Emperor VS Totila, Ostrogothic King

During the course of the Roman reconquest of Italy in the 6th century AD, known as the Gothic War, Justinian's legions faced off against the forces of a succession of Ostrogothic kings trying to defend their adopted homeland. But the Gothic leader that gave the hardest time for the Eastern Roman emperor bent on restoring Rome's old territories was Totila.

At the time of his ascension to the throne, Totila (whose original name was Baduila) had been the garrison commander of Treviso and had inherited an Ostrogothic realm confined to northern Italy, a realm that was shrinking fast. Marching out of the north with the small Ostrogoth army, Totila came upon a larger Roman force at Faventia and destroyed it, enabling him to move further south. As part of his strategy, Totila skipped over the fortified cities and took control of the countryside, and soon had nearly the whole of the peninsula back in Gothic hands. Totila's successes and the lack of cooperation between the emperor and his best general Belisarius helped to extend the conflict for another decade. He even managed to take Rome twice, the second time holding it for two years from 550-552 AD.

By this point, Justinian had had enough, and sent a great force of 35,000 under the general Narses to Italy. The main Ostrogothic army was soon defeated, and Totila killed. His successor Teia died in battle not long afterwards, and Justinian was left as the new master of the old Roman heartland.

Justinian I
AE Follis (40 nummi)
Obv: helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield, cross to right
Rev: Large M, ANNO to left, regnal year XIII to right, cross above, officina letter B below
CON in ex, Constantinople mint, struck 541 AD
Ref: SB 163
40.4 mm, 21.70 gr.



Baduila (Totila)
AE Decanummium
Obv: DN BADV-ILA REX, crowned, draped, bust facing
Rev: DN B/ADV/ELA/REX in four lines within wreath
Rome mint, struck 550-552 AD
Ref: MIB 89a

 

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Ebay, the evil empire VS Vlaha, the awesome coin collector

 

Decent coins, especially the Justinian I. I know nothing about Totila, but congrats on the pickups.

 

Thanks Bing!

... until you read my write-up, right?

 

Exactly! Now I have some interest thanks to you.

 

Even if you don't collect the coinage, I think the history and events of this time in post-Roman Europe/Middle Ages are definitely something to read about if you have the time. Its not just "empire collapses, everyone poor except nobles and clergy and nothing exciting happens for the next 500 years". Many things happen throughout this era and some of the events and people IMO rival anything in interest and importance before or since.

 

Same thing actually, but with monogram issues.

 

I agree, but I have to keep my coin collecting focused or I'll have no money or wife. Poor me.

 

I agree, definitely try to keep Mrs. Bing! A priority of utmost importance

 

GALLIENUS VS POSTUMUS

I'm not sure if Gallienus saw his former general Postumus as his nemesis, but the man killed his heir Saloninus, wrested control of Germania, Britannia and Gaul away from him, and minted better coins than him. On his coins, Postumus looks famously jolly, ruling his breakaway Gallic Empire for 9 years, and as a final insult, outlived Gallienus as well.



GALLIENUS
Antoninianus (3.0g, 19mm)
Rome Mint, 267 - 268 AD.
RIC 181
O: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right.
R: DIANAE CONS AVG, gazelle right, XII in ex.




POSTUMUS
Antoninianus (3.39g, 21.5mm)
Cologne mint, 263 - 265 AD.
RIC 58
O: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: FELICITAS AVG, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and cornucopiae.

 

Anyone who has children will be familiar with their incessant bickering over property, but two of the sons of Constanine the Great, Constantine II and Constans, elevated sibling rivalry to epic proportions. On the death of Constantine I in 337, his three sons ruthlessly murdered any family members that may have had any claim to the throne, and divided the Roman Empire between themselves and a cousin, Dalmatius.

Constans was assigned the praetorian prefectures of Italy and Africa, but he was only 14 at the time, so his older brother, Constantine II, appointed himself as Constans’ guardian. Have any of you parents ever put one sibling in charge of another? As you can imagine, this arrangement did not suit Constans in the least. The boys held a council at Vimanicium in 338 to redraw the boundaries, and Constans managed to pocket the prefecture of Illyricum and the diocese of Thrace. This annoyed Constantine II tremendously: it’s mine, no it’s mine, give it back, shut up!

To make matters worse, when Constans came of age, Constantine II refused to give up his guardianship, and the matter escalated. Constans dispatched a body of Illyrian troops which cornered Constantine II in Aquilea and assassinated him.

Constans had some fun for a while, raping and pillaging the Franks, Picts, and Scots, but he gained a reputation for misrule. In addition to that, the Roman legions were annoyed at the emperor’s preference for foreign bodyguards and his openly homosexual lifestyle. They sided with the usurper Magnentius, and assassinated Constans in 350, paving the way for the sole rule of Constantius II.

(A note to all would-be dictators: don’t alienate your legions!)

Coins of Constans and Constantine II...

 

Not too much brotherly love growing up, huh? Talk about sibling rivalry to the extreme!

 

Good thread idea, VK! I've got a few more to post later.

 

Wow...now I'm really grateful for my brothers.

 

Valerian and Shapur

 

Septimius Severus and Pescennius Niger followed by Clodius Albinus. I'd like to show a Volagases V of Parthia but I don't have one. Opposing Septimius was not a terribly wise choice.

 

Well, you already did Postumus versus Gallienus ... but what about the poor lil' kid stuck in the middle? (Saloninus => eventually killed by Postumus' army)

Postumus AR Antoninianus
260-269 AD
Diameter: 21 mm
Weight: 3.58 grams
Obverse: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
Reverse: LAETITIA AVG, galley left with four rowers & pilot
Reference: RIC 73, RSC 167







EGYPT, Alexandria. Saloninus. As Caesar
BI Tetradrachm
AD 258-260
Dated RY 7 of Valerian I and Gallienus (AD 259/60)
Diameter: 22 mm
Weight: 13.00 grams
Obverse: Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Reverse: Eagle standing left, head right, holding wreath in beak; L Z (date) across field
Reference: Köln 3005; Dattari (Savio) 5377; K&G 93.8
Other: 12h … even brown surfaces. Rare





... yah, that didn't seem like a very fair fight, eh?

 

No thread about Nemeses would be complete without mentioning Constantine I and Licinius I. The scholarship on this civil war is extensive and easily available, so I won't recapitulate any of it. It could be argued that the Roman Empire was in a perpetual state of civil war, but this was a big one - on the enormous scale of Octavian versus Mark Antony.

Folles of Constantine I and Licinius I...

 

Great idea for a thread VK. I'm surprised nobody's posted this one yet.

How about some more intense sibling rivalry, as displayed by the brothers Caracalla and Geta. That's what I like about ancient Rome, a little sibling rivalry usually ends up with someone getting "liquidated."

"Caracalla was present when his father died on campaign in Caledonia, and was then proclaimed emperor by the troops along with his brother Publius Septimius Antoninus Geta. Caracalla suspended the campaign in Caledonia and soon ended all military activity, as both brothers wanted to be sole ruler thus making relations between them increasingly hostile. When they tried to rule the Empire jointly they actually considered dividing it in halves, but were persuaded not to do so by their mother.

Then in December 211 at a reconciliation meeting arranged by their mother Julia Domna, Caracalla had Geta assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard loyal to himself, leading to Geta dying in his mother's arms. Caracalla then persecuted and executed most of Geta's supporters and ordered a damnatio memoriae pronounced by the Senate against his brother's memory." (Wikipedia cut and paste history)

Caracalla; AD 198-217
Silver Denarius; 17mm/3.2 g
OBV: ANTONINVS PIVS AVG BRIT, laureate head right
REV: MARTI PROPVGNATORI, Mars walking left, holding spear and trophy.
(RIC 223)



Geta; AD 209-212;
AR Denarius; 20mm/3.3g
OBV: P SEPTIMVS GETA CAES; Draped bust right
REV: PROVID DEORVM; Providentia standing L, holding wand over globe and scepter
RIC IV 51

 

And just for good measure...why don't we add the mother who made it all possible....

Julia Domna; 211-217 AD
Silver Denarius; 20mm/3.2g
Obv: IVLIA PIA FELIX AVG, draped bust right /
Rev: DIANA LVCIFERA, Diana standing left, holding long torch with both hands. (RIC 373 A, Sear5 7100, RSC 32)