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Message:: [QUOTE="Victor_Clark, post: 25527742, member: 10613"]I have a small collection of coins that feature Hercules or reference him. Most of these are for Maximianus, as he was related to Hercules (as was his junior- Constantius I); which is why he was known as Maximianus Herculius. Diocletian was related to Jupiter, as was his junior- Galerius. Coins with Hercules references were often issued for all the rulers though.  There is a theory that Diocletian and Maximianus started to proclaim their relationship with Jupiter and Hercules because of the revolt of Carausius. It was "an attempt to impose a divine order on the administering of the Empire, a "cosmic unity" that would automatically exclude any usurper from a place within the Empire." (In Praise of Later Roman Emperors  pg 48) It is impossible to prove, but an interesting idea.see: William Seston "Dioclétien et la Tétrarchie" [ATTACH=full]1635055[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 287-289Ӕ Antoninianus 21mm 3.9gIMP C VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.HERCVLI PACIFERO; Hercules standing left, holding olive branch, club and lion-skin; B in left field.In ex. SMLRIC Vii Lugdunum 372 Ex- Phil Peck (Morris) Collection [ATTACH=full]1635056[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 289Ӕ Antoninianus 21x23mm 3.7gmIMP MAXIMIANVS AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right.VIRTVTI AVGG; Hercules stg. r., strangling lion, club thrown behind him.In ex. TRIC Vii Lugdunum 456 variation; Bastien 226 footnote This coin is not in RIC for the T in exergue. It is not listed in Bastien either, though he does mention in a footnote for #226 that an example was noted in the Nieder-Rentgen hoard (pg 42) [ATTACH=full]1635057[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 289Ӕ Antoninianus 21mm 3.7gmIMP C MAXIMIANVS P AVG; Radiate and cuirassed bust right.HERCVLI INVICTO AVGG; Hercules stg. l., holding Victory on globe, club and lion’s skin; in left field S.RIC Vii Lugdunum 369 [ATTACH=full]1635058[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 291Ӕ Antoninianus 23mm 3.9gIMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.VIRTVS AVGG; Hercules stg. l., head left, holding club,trophy and lion’s skin.In ex. XXIARIC Vii Rome 515 [ATTACH=full]1635059[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 285- 288Ӕ Antoninianus 23x24mm 3.6gmIMP M AVR VAL MAXIMIANVS AVG; Radiate, cuirassed and draped bust right.HERCVLI CONSERVAT; Hercules stg. r., holding club with lion’s skin, on rock.In ex. VIXXITRIC Vii Ticinum 547 [ATTACH=full]1635060[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 289- 290Ӕ Antoninianus 23mm 3.2gIMP C M A VAL MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; radiate and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear.CONSERVATOR AVGG; Maximianus holding sceptre, and Hercules, leaning on club; standing face to face, sacrificing at altar; Γ in right.In ex. •XXI•ΛI•RIC V Siscia 580 var. (bust type) bust type not listed in RIC this coin has a secret code in Greek that spells Hercules-- workshop A= HP, workshop B= KOY and workshop Γ = ΛI      HP/KOY/ΛI for Hercules <a href="https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/CONSERVATOR/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/CONSERVATOR/" rel="nofollow">https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/CONSERVATOR/</a> [ATTACH=full]1635061[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 296- 297Ӕ follis 27mm 10gIMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; laureate head right, H under bust.GENIO POPVLI ROMANI; Genius standing left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys over left shoulder, right holding patera, left cornucopiae; B in left, Γ in right.In ex. TRRIC VI Trier 171b This coin from Trier has an H under the bust, which honors the family members of Hercules-- Maximianus and Constantius. RIC says it was issued when "Constantius' British campaign was successfully concluded" This is his campaign against Carausius and Allectus. It also commemorates the beginning of the campaign of Maximianus against the Quinquegentiani in North Africa which started the minting of coins at Carthage. here is a coin from the Carthage campaign; which the previous coin referenced. [ATTACH=full]1635062[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 297- 29827x28mm 8.3gIMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG; laureate head right.FELIX ADVENT AVGG NN; Africa standing left, holding labarum and tusk; at feet, lion with captured bull, in left field H.in ex. PKSRIC VI Carthage 23b the H in left field is for Hercules <a href="https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/Carthage/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/Carthage/" rel="nofollow">https://constantinethegreatcoins.com/Carthage/</a> [ATTACH=full]1635063[/ATTACH] MaximianusA.D. 30723x25mm 5.8gD N MAXIMIANO P F S AVG; laureate and cuirassed bust.HERCVLI CONSERVATORI; Hercules standing facing, head left, right leaning on club, left holding bow, lion's skin over left shoulder.In ex. PLNRIC VI London 91 The descendants of Hercules (and Jupiter) were not long for this world though. Here is a quote from Lactantius, a Christian author of the 4th century, who mocks the Tetrarchy for their affiliation with the pagan gods-- “Where now are the surnames of the Jovii and the Herculii, once so glorious and renowned among the nations; surnames insolently assumed at first by Diocles and Maximian, and afterwards transferred to their successors?” Lactantius LII [/QUOTE]

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