The last Pagan emperor, his coin was on my bucket list for awhile. Sirmium mint Relevant fact- Julian received an embassy from the Pandyas around 361 AD!
Pandas? Those are the laziest most useless creatures on the planet. I guess they had their heyday back around 361...sending out embassies and stuff. Tryin to get the best bamboo I suppose.... Sorry, I'm a little sleep deprived and I couldn't help myself.
Julian II, The Apostate (355 - 363 A.D.) Æ3 O: D N CL IVLIANVS NOB CAES, Bare head, draped and cuirassed right. R: FEL TEMP REPARATIO. Helmeted soldier to l., shield on l. arm, spearing falling horseman; shield on ground r. Horseman turns head to soldier and extends l. arm. M in l. field, BSIRM star in exergue. Sirmium Mint, 355-61 A.D. 19mm 2.24g RIC 78 Scarce
He is possibly the biggest "what if" in roman history Anyways one of my favorite emperors in all we know about him too. A while ago I started to look for one of his military bust coins from every mint of the empire but for now I only got Rome, Constantina and Thessalonica. Here my rome mint example:
In 2015 (I think) I saw ancient coins for the first time in my life and bought 2 (took 5 years to start a collection, but that was the official start Julian II RIC VIII Arelate 270 or 271 or 273 or 274 Date Range: AD 355 - AD 360 Obverse Legend: D N IVLIAN-VS NOB CAES Type: Bust of Julian, bareheaded, draped, cuirassed, right Reverse Legend: FEL TEMP - REPARATIO Type: Soldier, helmeted, draped, cuirassed, advancing left, spearing fallen horseman with right hand and wearing shield on left arm; shield on ground to right; horseman wearing a pointed cap, turning to face soldier, extending right arm
JULIAN II Siliqua OBVERSE: FL CL IVLIA-NVS PP AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right REVERSE: VOTIS V MVLTIS X in four lines within wreath. Mintmark SLVG Struck at Lyons 360-363 A.D 1.7g, 16mm RIC VIII Lyons 227 var (bust type); RSC 163b var (ditto); Sear 4071 var (ditto). JULIAN II Majorina OBVERSE: D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right REVERSE: SECVRITAS REIPVB dot, bull right, two stars above, palm branch-CONSPA-palm branch in ex. Struck at Constantinople 3 Nov 361 - 26 June 363 A.D 7.95g, 29.48mm RIC VIII 164 JULIAN II AE3 OBVERSE: D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand REVERSE: VOT / X / MVLT / XX in four lines within wreath. Mintmark: CVZ Gamma Struck at Cyzicus 361-3 AD 3.3g, 20mm RIC 130
Julian II (nephew of Constantine I), AR Siliqua. 360-361 A.D, Arles [Constantina/Arelatum] Mint, 1st Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, DN IVLIAN-VS P F AVG / Rev. VOTIS/V/MVLTIS/X in four lines within wreath. In exergue: PCON [PRIMA CONSTANTINA = First officina in Arles]. RIC VIII Arles 295, RSC V 16, Sear RCV V 19132. 17 mm., 2.2 g. Julian II, AE Double Maiorina, 361-363 AD, Sirmium [Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia] Mint, 2nd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG / Bull standing right, two stars above, SECVRITAS REIPVB; in exergue: mintmark star-BSIRM-palm branch. RIC VIII Sirmium 107B (p. 392), Sear RCV V 19152 (ill.), Cohen 38. 28 mm., 8.48 g. Julian II, AE Centenionalis, 361-363 AD, Sirmium [Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia] Mint, 2nd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, spear in right hand, shield in left, D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG / Rev. VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within wreath. In exergue: BSIRM [BETA SIRMIUM = Second officina in Sirmium] RIC VIII Sirmium 108, Cohen VIII 151, Sear RCV V 19172. 20.3 mm, 3.393 g.
I recently posted this in a thread on Migration coinage so I hope it is acceptable to post it again, since it is my only coin of Julian. I have seen another barbarian copy of a solidus of Julian in a sale recently, which appeared to be in much lower relief. Alas, one cannot buy everything. A heavyweight 4.59 gram gold Solidus in high relief in the style of an aureus, modeled on a coin of Lugdunum. Cf. RIC 226 (Lyon). Reverse legend is VIRTUS EXERC CALI the last word meant to be GALL in praise of Julian’s army in Gaul. Ex: Dr. E. Poncet collection,(Bourgey, 15 March 1926, lot #71), then Triton III lot #1224 “unusual and extremely rare”; and Leu 72, 12 May 1998 lot#542.
Nice addition @JayAg47 .. excellent green patina! Here is my similar coin from Cyzicus: Helmeted bust of Julian II left "DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AV" Wreath "VOT X MVLT XX" "CYZD" in exergue Also picked up this Bull earlier this year: Bust of Julian II right "DN FL CL IVLIANVS PF AVG" Bull standing right, two stars above "SECVRITAS REIPVB" "NIKB" with palm to each side in exergue Nicomedia mint, 8.73g
Excerpt from Ammianus Marcellinus, Liber XXV Meanwhile, all who were present wept, whereupon even then maintaining his authority, he chided them, saying that it was unworthy to mourn for a prince who was called to union with heaven and the stars. As this made them all silent, he himself engaged with the philosophers Maximus and Priscus in an intricate discussion about the nobility of the soul. Suddenly the wound in his pierced side opened wide, the pressure of the blood checked his breath, and after a draught of cold water for which he had asked, in the gloom of midnight he passed quietly away in the thirty-second year of his age. According to Eusebius, his last words were "Thou hast conquered, Galilean."
JULIAN II Roman Empire Julian II (361-363 CE) AE3, 17.0mm, 2.7g, 6h Thessalonika mint OBV: DN CLIVLIANVS NOB CAES, draped and cuirassed bust r REV: FEL TEMP REPARTIO, helmeted soldier l, shield on ground r. horseman turns to soldier extends l arm, M on l, SMTS Epsilon REF: RIC VIII Thessalonika 210, p 421 AE1 RI Julian II CE 360-363 AE1 maiorina Diademed R - SECVRITAS REIPVB 2 stars Apis Bull stg R ANT-Gamma 2 palms ANTIOCH RIC 217 LRBC 2641
This is my one and only Jullian the Apostate. Unfortunately, he is lacking the stately beard of his later issues. I got him out of a lot of uncleaned coins and he could definitely do with a better scrub. I think it'd have a nice dark green patina underneath. I'm too afraid I'd screw it up though. So he is still dirty. Julian II AE4, Sirmium Obverse: DN IVLIA-NVS NOB C, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right Reverse: FEL TEMP-REPARATIO, soldier spearing fallen horseman who is bare-headed, reaching backwards Mintmark BSIRM dot
I’ve always had a fondness for Julian, from my childhood reading of Ammianus Marcellinus, Gibbon, and even Gore Vidal’s 1964 novel Julian! Later, in graduate school, my special author was Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, one of the greatest of the Christian Latin poets. Born in Spain in 348, Prudentius abandoned a successful administrative career to follow poetry’s muse, for which I, if no one else, am grateful. In his work, Apotheosis, lines 446-459, the poet describes how as a youth he caught a glimpse of the emperor, and speaks of him with some grudging admiration in that marvelous verse: “perfidus ille deo, quamvis non perfidus orbi”. ("that one, not faithful to God, although faithful to the world.") ............................…iam purpura supplex sternitur Aeneadae rectoris ad atria Christi, vexillumque crucis summus dominator adorat. principibus tamen e cunctis non defuit unus ME PUERO, UT MEMINI, DUCTOR FORTISSIMUS ARMIS, CONDITOR ET LEGUM, CELEBERRIMUS ORE MANUQUE, CONSULTOR PATRIAE, SED NON CONSULTOR HABENDAE RELLIGIONIS, AMANS TER CENTUM MILIA DIVUM. PERFIDUS ILLE DEO, QUAMVIS NON PERFIDUS ORBI, augustum caput ante pedes curvare Minervae fictilis et soleas Iunonis lambere, plantis Herculis advolvi, genua incerare Dianae, quin et Apollineo frontem submittere gypso aut Pollucis equum suffire ardentibus extis. Now the successor of Aeneas, in the imperial purple, prostrates himself in prayer at the house of Christ, and the supreme lord adores the banner of the cross. YET OF ALL THE EMPERORS ONE THERE WAS IN MY BOYHOOD, I REMEMBER, A BRAVE LEADER IN ARMS, A LAWGIVER, FAMOUS FOR SPEECH AND ACTION, ONE WHO CARED FOR HIS COUNTRY’S WEAL, BUT NOT FOR MAINTAINING TRUE RELIGION, FOR HE LOVED MYRIAD GODS. FALSE TO GOD, HOWEVER TRUE TO THE WORLD, he would bend the head of majesty before Minerva’s feet, would lick a clay Juno’s sandals, grovel at the feet of Hercules, wax the knees of Diana, and bow before a plaster Apollo or smoke Pollux’s horse with the burning of entrails. A few of my Julians: Julian II. AD 360-363. Arelate, 2nd officina, 361-3. AR Reduced Siliqua, 2.05 gr. 17 mm. 7 h Obv: DN FL CL IVLI - ANVS PF AVG, Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bearded bust right. Rev: VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within laurel wreath with medallion in its center containing an eagle standing right. Beneath, SCONST. References: RIC 309. Ex 1887 East Harptree, Somerset Hoard (IRBCH 1424). CNG 109, Sept. 12 2018, lot 731. Julian II. AD 360-363. Arelate, 2nd officina, 361-3. AR Reduced Siliqua, 2.62 gr. 17.9 mm. 12 h Obv: DN FL CL IVL - IANVS PF AVG, Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bearded bust right. Rev: VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within laurel wreath with medallion in its center containing an eagle standing right. Beneath, SCONST. References: RIC 310. Ex 1887 East Harptree, Somerset Hoard (IRBCH 1424).
The heavenward (er, Olympusward) gaze is kind of interesting on this one... Julian II the Apostate Æ 20 (361-363 A.D.) Sirmium Mint D N FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear forward and shield decorated with aegis / VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within wreath; ASIRM RIC VIII Sirmium 108 (3.50 grams / 20 mm)
This imitative solidus above is fantastic. I noticed that there is a reasonably large number of imitative Siliquae of Julianus II around. Below is an example from my collection and the official model. Its a shame that so little is known about these unofficial emissions in the 4th century. Who made these coins? What was the economic reason for their creation?