Philip the Arab (AD 244-249). Æ (28mm, 14.08 g, 7h). Dated year 2 (AD 247/8). Obv.: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Rev.: PROVINCIA DACIA, Dacia wearing Dacian cap seated left, holding curved sword and vexillum inscribed XIII; to left, vexillum inscribed V and eagle standing left, head right, with wreath in beak; to right, lion walking left; AN II (date) in exergue. The vexillum inscribed V symbolizes the Legio V Macedonica, whose emblem was an eagle carrying wreath, and the other one, inscrbed XIII, symbolizes the Legio XIII Gemina, whose emblem was a lion. These two legions formed the core of the exercitus (the provincial army) of the province of Dacia. On Gallienus' legionary series, antoniniani minted at Mediolanum, these two legions will be represented by the same animals. A Roman legion had a papyrus size of 5500 personal, and a Roman army was usually composed of 50% legionary and 50% auxiliary. This means that there were 11,000 legionaries in Dacia, plus 11,000 auxiliaries (foot and horse), a total of 22,000 men and officers in theory. Legio V Macedonica had her base in Potaissa, today's Turda, Romania, near the river Aries. The camp of the Legio V Macedonica in today's Turda, Romania. Legio XIII Gemina had her camp in Apulum, today's Alba lulia, Romania. near the river Marisus (Mures). The camp of the Legio XIII Gemina in the middle of today's Alba Iulia, Romania. Its remains were covered in the 18th c. by a star fort built by the Austrian Empire. Both legions were first line units when the emperor Philip came there to fight the Quadi and the Carpi, a Germanic people which gave its name to the Carpathian mountains. The emperor declared victory, as usual, and was given the official name of Carpicus Maximus (there are antoniniani with this name on reverse). This version may be mere propaganda: the bitter truth is that some Roman forts in Western Dacia were found destroyed and never rebuilt, the latest coins found there being of Philip I... It's likely that Philip defended the province but abandoned some territory to the Barbarians, which could explain why he wasn't very popular among local troops who revolted in the following year. Many Roman provincial coins with standards and vexilla are in fact colonial coins : issued by a veteran colony, the vexilla symbolize the legion in which the veterans settled in the colony used to serve. This coin is not colonial, it wasn't issued by a city but by a province, and the vexilla and emblems of the two legions symbolize active duty troops. On the reverse, Dacia is holding the standard of the Legion XIII Gemina: I don't know if this detail is significant. These coins were probably minted in Apulum, the Legio Gemina's headquarters, or in Ulpia Traiana, formerly Sarmizegetusa. The era used for the date is puzzling : year 1 was 246-247: it marks the beginning of this coinage and may correspond to Philip's arrival in Dacia. The same coins were minted for Trajan Decius, Trebonianus Gallus, Valerian and Gallienus until year X (256-7). They were probably produced for the military: most of the archaeological finds were made in military sites such as auxiliary forts or outposts.
Cool! I always enjoy reading about lesser-known topics. No one ever seems to talk about Dacia, post-Trajan. I only have one: Philip I (244-249). Dacia. Æ (28mm, 14.79g, 1h). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust r. R/ Dacia standing facing, holding standards inscribed V and XIII; eagle to l., lion to r., AN III (date) in exergue. RPC VIII online - (unassigned; ID 2494); Varbanov 11. There's a sad story behind this one. The dealer didn't use best practices (no cardboard coin protector) and used an el-cheapo mailer, so the denarius with this one broke. I would have rather had this one break. At least they had a better one of this.
