Here is a Follis of my least favorite emperor of rome, if what is written, by the christians, is to be true. Only got it cause it was $17 shipped after converted Euro. Even Warren mentioned it was a good deal. Galerius (305 - 311 A.D.) Æ Follis O: GAL VAL MAXIMIANVS NOB CA ES, laureate bust right. R: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing half left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys over left shoulder, pouring liquor from patera in right, cornucopia in left, star left, A right, SM SD in ex. Serdica Mint, 304 305 A.D. 28mm 11.8g RIC VI RIC 4b
hey cool mat, thats a solid coin for 17 bucks. i just picked up a galerius/genius follis from antioch for 18 bucks...great minds (or whatever our minds are) think alike...i'll post when it arrives.
Very nice! I would love that coin at the price! $17 well spent! Take some of those tales with a grain of salt.
Indeed, but he still seemed like a big S.O.B. Some reason I just don't like the guy even if Caracalla and others were Dic*s.
I like your new coin. And I wouldn't be too hard on ole Max. As far as bad rulers of the Roman Empire, I think he has lots of company. MAXIMIANUS AE Follis OBVERSE: IMP C MA MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right REVERSE: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing left, holding patera & cornucopia, Delta to right, dot TS dot in ex. Struck at Thessalonica, 302/3 AD 10.3g, 27mm RIC VI 25b
Got to hand it to you there . He was not a very good senior Augustus , as evident of how quickly the Tetrarchy fell into chaos. But as a Caesar ( under the steady hand of Diocletian) he was a very capable general and solider. see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Satala_(298)
The Battle of Satala was the "cherry on top" for the Romans. It basically avenged ole Valerian (poor thing) and secured a lasting peace until Constantine started poking shapur II with a stick in the late 330's. But again, he failed miserably as a senior Augustus. So I can understand why he is not high on your list.
I'm with Mat. As a Christian, his persecution in Diocletian's name is pretty much why I dislike Galerius (even if he did win some important battle). That aside the OP coin is nice and looks like it can be cleaned further.
I think one of us is wrong. I still say Maximianus. Legend reads: "IMP C MA MAXIMIANVS P F AVG" which I believe is that of Max not Galerius. But I've been known to be wrong once or twice in my lifetime.
Well, any persecution of a religious or ethnic minority is bad. Cough cough.. Gratian and Ambrose. And I do see you point. He was "hardcore" and he should not have persecuted the christians. To be fair though, he did eventually rescind his persecutions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Toleration_by_Galerius
I never said that you did and if I implied it I am sorry and did not mean it that way. I just think that to diss all the guys success (And yes the Peace of Nisbis was a very big success. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_of_Nisibis ) just because he was a fundamentalist ( and bigot) is a little to harsh. I don't particularly like Theodosius I ( can you tell) but I acknowledge him as a competent and capable general and probably one of the better guys to lead the Eastern Empire after Adrianople. Galerius clearly was a brilliant military commander who saved many Roman lives by creating a lasting peace in the east. But! he was a very flawed human being. Certainly he should not be in the category with Augustus, Trajan, Antoninus Pius, ect. Though I don't believe he should be at the bottom of the barrel with Caracalla, who killed over 20,000 innocent civilians, or Caligula, Nero. That is a bit unjustified in my humble opinion. Many thanks to VK and Mat for being civil and kind persons who can eloquently discuss history! Cheers
Awesome addition, Mat (congrats) ... oh, and you too, Bing => I have a sweet addition as well ... Funny, I think it looks like my genius has his rod and his fresh catch of the day!
I wish a movie or mini-series would be done about the formation of the Tetrarchy and the civil wars that ensued when it fell apart. Galerius would make for an excellent villain, or at least one of them.
