The defeat of the Palmyrene Empire...Sol stomping a captive

The Palmyrene Empire, which incorporated a large area including modern Syria and Egypt; broke away from the Roman Empire in A.D. 270 under Queen Zenobia who ruled as regent for her son Vaballathus, who was only 10 when he assumed leadership. Prior to hostilities, coins were issued with both the Roman and Palmyrene rulers.



Vabalathus
A.D. 271-272
AE Antoninianus
20mm 3.1gm
VABALATHVS VCR IM DR; Laureate and draped bust seen from rear of Vabalathus
IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG; Radiate and cuirassed bust right of Aurelian; Γ below.
RIC Vi Antioch 381


The honeymoon was shortlived.


This coin from Aurelian commemorates his victory over the Palmyrene Empire in A.D. 273. Aurelian swiftly and decisively ended hostilities; though this event is still important to Syrians as many consider it to be the first Pan-Arab movement.



Aurelian
A.D. 274- 275
Antoninianus 22mm 3.9g
IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right.
CONSERVAT AVG; Sol advancing right, holding sceptre and globe and trampling on prostrate enemy in Oriental (Persian) dress; S in left field.
In ex. XXI
RIC V Antioch 383; RIC V Online 3175



Sol feautured on a lot of coinage at the time, as Aurelian was trying to make Sol Invictus the chief Roman god. Below is a coin with a reverse of Aurelian and his wife Severina with the head of Sol between them.



Aurelian
AD 270- 271
Ӕ As 24x27mm 6.6g
IMP AVRELIANVS AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust right.
CONCORDIA AVG Severina and Aurelian standing facing each other and clasping hands; Aurelian holding scepter. Above, radiate and draped bust of Sol right.
RIC Vi Rome 80

 

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Great post and coins, Victor. I just have the two below.

Vabalathus (270 - 275 A.D.)
Æ Antoninianus
O: VABALATHVS V CRIMDR, Laureate and draped bust right.
R: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG, Radiate and draped bust right.
Antioch
20mm
3.3g
RIC-381


Aurelian, With Vaballathus (270 - 275 A.D.)
Egypt, Alexandria
Potin Tetradrachm
O: AYT KΛ ∆ AYPHΛIANOC CEB, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Aurelian right, date L - A at sides ( year 1 ).
R: I I A C OYABAΛΛAΘOC AΘHNOY AYT C ΠΩ, laureate, diademed and draped bust of Vabalathus right, date L - D across fields ( year 4 )
20mm
9.54g
Köln 3054; Dattari 5422; Milne 4308; Curtis 1738; Emmett 3914

 

Love the stompin coin @Victor_Clark ! Very cool.

VABALATHUS

RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian

 

All three of Victor's coins are delightful. I love coins of Vaballathus, especially the Alexandrian issues.

I forget the episode now, but one of the Dr. Who audio adventures (sixth Doctor?) featured Sol Invictus as the 'villain.'

 

Lovely coins, Victor_Clark. I especially like the Aurelian with the American History X reverse. I recently lost a head to head bidding for one of those, though it wasn't quite as nice as yours. I also felt like stomping.

 

There was never a Palmyrene Empire.
Odaenathus (Zenobia's husband and Vaballathus' father) never claimed to be an emperor. He had the titles of Consular (governor of the province), Corrector totius Orientis (commander of all Roman forces in Orient), and "King of Kings". This last title is not a Roman imperial title, it is a Persian title and it means he pretended to be the legitimate sucessor of the Parthian king Artabanus toppled by Ardashir. Not king of Palmyra : Palmyra was never a kingdom but an hellenized city with a boule and magistrates...
After his assassination, his younger son Vaballathus inherited the titles. On the Latin Vaballathus / Aurelian antoniniani Vaballathus is VCRIMDR : Vir Consularis (= governor), Rex (King (of the Parthians)), IMperator (invested of the imperium), Dux Romanorum (Commander of the Roman soldiers). His portrait wears 2 crowns : the diadem, as king, and the laurel wreath, as imperator. It is Aurelian and Aurelian alone who is AVGustus and wears the radiate crown. There re no Zenobia coins at this moment.
Later, in 272, we find coins of Zenobia Augusta and Vaballathus Augustus. This means that they were proclaimed Augusti by their Roman troops, like many other Roman commanders in the 3rd c. They claimed to be emperors of the whole Roman Empire !