New Macrianus (Junior)

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by ancient coin hunter, Feb 16, 2020.

  1. ancient coin hunter

    ancient coin hunter 3rd Century Usurper

    I received this in the mail yesterday in the FSR auction. While I had a coin of this emperor it was in very poor condition, so this represents an upgrade. Now I just need a Quietus...

    Although his father was from an equestrian family, Macrianus' mother was of noble birth and her name, possibly, was Iunia. According to the often unreliable Historia Augusta, he had served as military tribune under Valerian.

    Macrianus, along with his father and his brother Quietus were in Mesopotamia in 260, for the Sassanid campaign of Emperor Valerian. After the Roman army was defeated by the forces of Shapur, the emperor Valerian was captured in a disaster for the Romans.

    However, with the help of his father, Macrianus Senior, the trio was able to keep the Imperial treasure. Through the influence of the Praetorian prefect Balista, who had served under Valerian, Macrianus gained the imperial office together with his brother Quietus through the election by the army, whilst Gallienus remained emperor in the West.

    Macrianus and Quietus were recognized in the eastern part of the Empire, having a strong power base in Egypt, from which they controlled the bulk of the grain supply intended for Rome.

    After having temporarily secured the Persian frontier, Macrianus Major and Macrianus Minor moved to the West to attack and eliminate their rival Gallienus, commanding an army of 30,000 men. They were however defeated in autumn 261 by Aureolus, Gallienus' former cavalry commander and met their demise.

    One footnote of interest is that the military formation of Aureolus was the newly created mobile field army intended to quickly react to both barbarian incursions and internal threats, moving much faster than traditional legions. This is one innovation that contemporary historians have posited and credited to Gallienus, who mostly is given a bad rap in the Historia Augusta and also older sources such as Gibbon.

    Here is a passage from the Historia Augusta:

    "Macrianus and Ballista met together, called in the remains of the army, and, since the Roman power in the East was tottering, sought someone to appoint as emperor. For Gallienus was showing himself so careless of public affairs that his name was not even mentioned to the soldiers. It was then finally decided to choose Macrianus and his sons as emperors and to undertake the defense of the state. And so the imperial power was offered to Macrianus. Now the reasons why Macrianus and his sons should be chosen to rule were these: First of all, no one of the generals of that time was held to be wiser, and none more suited to govern the state; in the second place, he was the richest, and could by his private fortune make good the public losses. In addition to this, his sons, most valiant young men, rushed with all spirit into the war, ready to serve as an example to the legions in all the duties of soldiers."


    Macrianus, A.D. 260-261

    Type: AE antoninianus, 22 mm 3.1 grams, Antioch mint.

    Obverse: IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG, radiate cuirassed bust right

    Reverse: APOLINI CONSERVA, Apollo standing left holding branch and resting hand on lyre set on a low column.

    Reference: RIC 6; RSC 2; Sear 10799.

    macrianus1.jpg

    macrianus2.jpg

    Feel free to post your coins of Macrianus and Quietus or anything you deem to be relevant from this interesting and painful moment in Roman History...
     
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2020
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  3. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Cool addition.

    I have a tet.

    [​IMG]
    Macrianus (260 - 261 A.D.)
    Egypt, Alexandria
    Potin Tetradrachm
    O: A K T ΦIOVΛ MAKPIANOC E CEB, laureate and cuirassed bust right.
    R: Eagle standing left, wreath in its beak.L A (regnal year = 1)
    22.4mm
    10.44g
    Alexandria Milne 4056, Köln 3011, Dattari 5380, Emmett 3785; Sear 10816.
     
  4. Alegandron

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

    Nice write up, @ancient coin hunter . And very cool coin.

    MACRIANUS
    [​IMG]

    RI Macrianus 260-261 CE Usurper AR 22mm 4.4g BI Ant Spes Publica star Sear 3.10811. RIC 13 pg 581 R2 Rare


    QUIETUS
    [​IMG]
    RI Quietus usurper 260-261 CE Ant 3-74g Samasota mint Indulgentia patera scepter RIC V 5
     
  5. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    A relatively common Provincial of Macrianus is this koinon issue of Nicaea and Byzantium. I bought it for the reverse which is uncertainly given as fish traps or basket torches. I have never owned an Imperial coin of Macrianus or Quietus.
    pp2610fd1919.jpg
     
  6. Finn235

    Finn235 Well-Known Member

    Nice pick up! It's a shame that the only imperial mints that minted for the brothers used the same generic "young emperor" portrait, so we have no idea what they really looked like.

    Macrianus Jovi1.jpg

    My Quietus is interesting - I wonder if someone tried to plate it and pass it off as a binio? It is quite gold-colored in hand.
    Quietus apolini conserva.jpg
     
  7. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Great pick up ACH, and interesting write up. Macrinus.jpg
    MACRIANUS. BITHYNIA, NICAEA. 260/1 AD. THE CITY WALLS OF NICAEA FROM AN ARIAL PERSPECTIVE. AE 25MM, 7.2GM. R.G. 867 AND PLATE 88. ; SNG von Aulock 733; SNG Cop 543. O: ΤΙ ΦΟΥΛ ΙΟΥ ΜΑΚΡΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. R: ΝΙΚΑΙΕΩΝ, aerial view of the city-walls in the shape of an octagon; arched central gateways above and below.
     
  8. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    I enjoyed the references to Ballista, who happens to be the protagonist of the excellent Warrior of Rome series of novels by Harry Sidebottom (an Oxford professor of History) set in the 3rd century during the reigns of Maximinus I Thrax to Gallienus. He imagines Ballista as a Romanized Scandinavian sent to Rome as a hostage in his youth, who -- naturally! -- witnesses almost every important historical event during the period, from the assassination of Maximinus through the capture of Valerian I.
     
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