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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Sallent, post: 2446591, member: 76194&quot;]As some of you may know, I recently won this lovely Philip I &quot;The Arab&quot; antoninianus at Agora Auctions.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]510771[/ATTACH] <b>Philip I: Loyal servant or muderer</b></p><p><br /></p><p>There&#039;s a lot one can say about Philip I, who rose from Praetorian Prefect to the rank of Emperor after the rather obscure death of his predecessor Gordian III. Depending on who you believe, Gordian III died in battle and Philip I had to pick up the pieces, extricate his army from a&nbsp; precarious situation, and govern an empire in crisis. If that&#039;s the case, you almost have to feel sorry for him. Becoming Emperor during this chaotic time period meant almost certainly signing your own death warrant.</p><p><br /></p><p>But on the other hand, if he murdered Gordian III, whom by most accounts was an affable young Emperor, one can argue Philip had it coming. I guess your perception of Philip can vary depending on your take surrounding Gordian III&#039;s demise.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]510773[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Gordian III: Alleged murder victim of Philip I, or died in battle</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>But no matter how you may feel towards Philip I, you can&#039;t help but to feel sorry for the next person in this story...and the subject of my newest coin acquisition.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]510782[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Philip II, guilty of having the wrong father in an unforgiving world</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Phillip II was just 11 years old when he was brutally murdered. His crime was that he was his father&#039;s son, and for that he was made to die in his mother&#039;s arms. It is easy to forget just how dangerous being Emperor was during this time period, and not just for the Emperor himself, but often his innocent family who paid with their lives when the next usurper seized the crown of state. Philip II never had a chance to grow up, never wronged anyone as far as we can tell, and all we have left of his promising young life are a few sad lines written by ancient writers, and these lovely little coins like the one I just acquired.</p><p><br /></p><p>Depending on what really happened you could be looking at three murder victims (one of them being a murderer himself), or two murder victims and an Emperor who bravely died in battle. Either way, it is a reminder that for all the marbled temples, paved roads, aqueducts, and wonderful works of art, the ancient world was a much harsher place to live. Yes, it was a fascinating time in human history full of great technological and philosophical advances, but human life was still cheap in the absence of our modern understanding of human rights, international law, democracy, and everything else we take for granted today in the western world.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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