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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Gavin Richardson, post: 2788744, member: 83956&quot;][ATTACH=full]647203[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]647202[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s how I described these coins in my notes. Corrections welcome:</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to the Christian persecutions organized by Emperors Diocletian, Galerius, and Maximinus Daia, the tensions between pagan and Christian in the early fourth century were quite high indeed. Christians, according to many Romans, were simply bad citizens. They refused to make the token offerings to the “genius” or protective spirit of the Roman emperor. They did not attend the Roman games and thus refused to participate in the larger life of the community. And by not honoring the gods of the Romans, Christians threatened to bring down divine wrath upon the more observant citizens of the empire. Thus it is that in 311 A.D., “representatives from Nicomedia presented themselves before Maximinus, bringing images of their gods and request[ing] that Christians not be allowed to live in their city. Late in 311, an embassy from Antioch, led by their curator Theotecnus, also requested permission to banish Christians from their city and its territory. Other cities followed with the same request” (Forum Ancient Coins). Maximinus Daia acceded to their demands, and it is believed that these two dime-sized civic coins were struck in Antioch with his approval; these would be among the last recognizably pagan coin types of the Roman Empire. One coin depicts the “Genius of Antioch”–Tyche of Antioch seated facing on rocks, turreted and veiled, with stalks of grain in right; the upper body of river-god Orontes is below, standing facing in waist deep water, arms outstretched. The reverse shows APOLLONI SANCTO; Apollo standing left holding patera and lyre. The other coin depicts “Jove the Preserver”; Jupiter seated left, globe in right, long scepter vertical behind in left. The reverse legend reads VICTOR-IA AVGG; Victory left, wreath in extended right, palm frond in left, Ɛ in right field. However, both politically and theologically, Maximinus seems to have backed the wrong horse. His forces were defeated by Constantine’s ally Licinius, and in 313 A.D. he died at the age of 43, either from illness or suicide.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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