Vabalathus

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by Mat, Nov 18, 2011.

  1. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Hint: One is a senior emperor while the other is about as inconsequential Caesar as there was.
     
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  3. Dušan

    Dušan New Member

    A very nice "lost in time piece of history"

    “Intact”, as seen in the pictures!

    Bronze AE2 Antoninianus (23mm, 3.83 grams).

    Green authentic patina with great depth, incredible!

    Avers: "IMC VABALATHVS AVG"

    Revers: "PAX AVGVSTI"

    Starting from the most beautiful representation
    of his head with the amazing 5 plumes that get out of his hair, and most of all I saw two on the other of his coins and other rulers.

    The next what is unique is the schedule of letters that he does not have on one of his coins: "IMC VABALATHVS AVG".

    After that, his outfit is also incredible!

    And there's no need to talk about the reverse [​IMG]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaballathus

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra

    Vaballathus

    Lucius Julius Aurelius Septimius Vaballathus Athenodorus (Palmyrene: Whblt.png; Arabic: ْوَهْبُ اللَّات Wahb Allāt) c. 259 – 274 AD) was a king of the Palmyrene Empire centered at Palmyra, Syria, who came to power as a child, ruling with his regent, his mother Queen Zenobia, who led a revolt against Rome and formed the independent Palmyrene Empire.

    Early life

    Lucius Julius Aurelius Setptimius Vaballathus was born in 259 to the king of kings of Palmyra, Odaenathus and his second wife, queen consort of Palmyra, Zenobia. Vaballathus is the Latinized form of his Palmyrene name (Wahballat, "Gift of Al-lāt"). As the Arabian goddess Allāt came to be identified with Athena, he used Athenodorus as the Greek form of his name.[1] Not much of his early life before rising to power is known.

    Succession to the throne

    In 267, his father Odaenathus and his son, Hairan I were murdered by a relative of Odaenthus's named Maeonius, believed to be his cousin, who ruled as an usurper and crowned himself emperor for an extremely short period, being almost immediately killed, as no inscription or evidence for his rule exists. With the former king Odaenathus and his oldest son dead, the succession came to his younger son, Vaballathus. The young Vaballathus was made king (rex consul imperator dux Romanorum, "illustrious King of Kings" and corrector totius orientis) of the Palmyrene Empire at eight years old. Being too young to rule, his mother Zenobia ruled as a regent for him.

    Reign

    Initially the Roman Emperor Aurelian recognized Vaballathus' rule, perhaps because he was engaged in conflict with the Gallic Empire in the west and hesitated to incite open warfare with the Palmyrene Empire. This mutual recognition is testified by early coins issued by Zenobia under Vaballathus's name, but also acknowledging Aurelian as emperor. In the coins, Aurelian is shown wearing a radiate crown that signifies his supremacy as emperor, and Vaballathus was crowned with a laural wreath. [2] The Alexandrian minted coins showed Aurelian in his first year and Vaballathus in his fourth year [3] with Vaballathus adopting honorary titles possibly inherited from his father Odaenathus.

    The relationship between the Roman Empire and the newly established Palmyrene empire deteriorated and Aurelian disappeared from his coins, while Zenobia and Vaballathus adopted the titles of Augusta and Augustus respectively. Vaballathus was named in coins "King, Emperor, Dux Romanum leader of the Romans" [4] and a rebellion against Rome started, with Zenobia conquering most of Rome's eastern provinces, including Lower Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Arabia, Asia Minor and Lebanon. The recently independent Palmyra lasted for three years, until the Romans took action, and conquered all Palmyrene land.

    End of Reign and Defeat

    The end of Vaballathus's nominal rule came after losing the Siege of Palmyra, and being taken back, along with his mother as hostages to Aurelian in Rome. Their fates remain unknown, with each historian proposing different theories, according to Zosimus, Vaballathus died on the way to Rome, but this theory has been neither confirmed nor disproved.

    Other sources have implied that after shipping the defeated Zenobia and Vaballathus to Rome, Aurelian allowed both of the rebels to live, but only after they had been marched through the streets of the imperial city in accordance with Roman traditions of celebrating military victories with a triumphal procession. This would have been humiliating, but better than death. This theory is supported by Aurelian's similar treatment of the Tetrici, Tetricus I and Tetricus II of Gaul, long-time enemies of Rome whom the emperor allowed to retire following their defeat at the Battle of Châlons in 274.

    The fate of Palmyra, however took a turn for the worse. In 273, a revolution started by Septimius Apsaios [5] declaring a relative of Zenobia, Septimius Antiochus, as Augustus. [6] Aurelian marched to Palmyra, razing it to the ground. Buildings were smashed, citizens clubbed and massacred and Palmyra's holiest temples pillaged.[7] The city was forgotten and reduced and disappeared from historical records at that time. [8] Thus, ending the ascendance of Palmyrene civilization over the Roman orient.

    P.S:
    Zenobia began her military career in the spring of 270, during the reign of Claudius Gothicus.[235] Under the pretext of attacking the Tanukhids, she annexed Roman Arabia.[235] This was followed in October by an invasion of Egypt,[236][237] ending with a Palmyrene victory and Zenobia's proclamation as queen of Egypt.[238] Palmyra invaded Anatolia the following year, reaching Ankara and the pinnacle of its expansion.[239]
    The conquests were made behind a mask of subordination to Rome.[240] Zenobia issued coins in the name of Claudius' successor Aurelian, with Vaballathus depicted as king;[note 22][240] since Aurelian was occupied with repelling insurgencies in Europe, he tolerated the Palmyrene coinage and encroachments.[241][242] In late 271, Vaballathus and his mother assumed the titles of Augustus (emperor) and Augusta.[note 23][240]
     

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    dlhill132 and Alegandron like this.
  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Great coin @Mat (yeah, I know, posted in 2011...)

    Super write-up @Dušan , and nice coins you put on the table.

    I only have one from him, and it is with Aurelian:

    RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian Obv-Rev.jpg
    RI Vabalathus 271-272 CE and Aurelian AE Ant
     
    dlhill132 and Dušan like this.
  5. Dušan

    Dušan New Member

    As for the "reverse", only 8 different "reverse" is known:

    AEQVITAS AVG
    AETERNITAS AVG
    IOVI STATORI
    IVENVS AVG
    IVCNVS AVG
    VENUS AVG
    VICTORIA AVG
    VIRTVS AVG

    “PAX AVGVSTI” is the last one found, and it's "unique"
     
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