Favorite Roman Emperor or Imperator

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Windchild, Mar 3, 2013.

  1. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    +1, most definitely Antoninus Pius. He even created "innocent until proven guilty", so I'd say America owes something to good 'ol Antoninus :)

    I have a few aurei of Antoninus Pius, but this is my favorite:
    [​IMG]

    Next to him, I'd pick Augustus/Octavian, because of his prowess in battle.

    This aureus was issued directly before the Battle of Actium, the pivotal battle which marked the beginning of the Roman Empire.
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. John Anthony

    John Anthony Ultracrepidarian

    I'm glad you post here AncientJoe. Few of us can play in your league, and it's great to see these coins!
     
  4. SKI

    SKI Ooka Echizen Kawayama San

    Wow! those are fantastice coins.
     
  5. rzage

    rzage What Goes Around Comes Around .

    I always liked Trajan . Didn't they even have a toast to the effect be as lucky as Augustus and as good as Trajan ?

    [​IMG][​IMG]
     
  6. jlaramie

    jlaramie New Member

    And much more... ;P

    Augustus!
     
  7. Drusus

    Drusus Pecunia non olet

    Stunning coin.

    Also Pius refused treason trials all together and the few who fell to them under his rule were pronounced by the senate...how much involvement he had in them is the question but there were very few.

    As for Augustus and prowess in battle, I never got that from him. To me Augustus seems more statesman than fighter. Not to say he was not capable and made a good show of it. I think Marcus Agrippa was the hero of Actium.
     
  8. Windchild

    Windchild Punic YN, Shahanshah

    Augustus was NOT a Soldier...

    He was too sickly to be one.

    He was, however, a Brilliant Statesman... much better than Uncle Julius...

    Julius was a Brilliant Soldier, General and Engineer, with fabulous luck and also a fairly good statesman.
     
  9. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    Yes, true - he was much more of a strategist than a soldier himself, but his actions were definitely successful in battle.
     
  10. Drusus

    Drusus Pecunia non olet

    I don't know about that...Julius wrote his own accounts of his wars and released them to the populous which served as self promotion and made him very popular with the people. I believe Julius was a pretty adept statesman, all around brilliant in war and matters of state...and without him and his legacy Augustus probably would have remained relatively obscure. IMO, the only reason why Octavian rose so quickly as he did was his ability to gather troops on the name of and his association with Ceasar. They flocked to a young relatively inexperianced man simply because of the assiciation...not to say that Augustus didn't use that association to its fullest.

    As for tactician, it is pretty unclear who was the true brilliant tactician, Octavian or Agrippa...but my money is on Agrippa. Octavian had the name and all the sway it suddenly gave him to gather troops and money...Agrippa was the brilliant general. Thats just how I read it. IMO Agrippa was one of the greatest of Romans from this time period...

    Now my FAVORITE Roman came a bit before...Gaius Marius
     
  11. Gil-galad

    Gil-galad I AM SPARTACUS

    A good deal of Roman emperors won wars by proxy of certain generals. Augustus by proxy of Agrippa, for example.

    Some historians that are more critical of Antoninus Pius say that he was riding on the policies and actions made by Hadrian, for the most part.

    I'm still thinking about what I like better. There are two things to think about. Which has the better coins, or the more interesting history.
     
  12. Windchild

    Windchild Punic YN, Shahanshah

    I meant that comparatively... Caesar was also a brilliant statesman, but compared to his skills in Engineering, Soldiering and Generalship, he was only fairly good.

    Caesar's uncle is your favorite...

    Born a higher ranking commoner...

    Consul SEVEN times, a record...

    A Military Genius... Also very good with Morale..


    The best way to show how brilliant Augustus was as a Statesman is to compare him to Young Marius.

    Both the sons of very, very popular Statesman and Generals....

    Octavian took advantage, and raised an army to defeat the Enemy,

    While Marius tried to raise an army, did NOT succeed as he wasn't a good enough Statesman
     
  13. IdesOfMarch01

    IdesOfMarch01 Well-Known Member

    While he wasn't the most benevolent of Caesars, Claudius is probably my favorite among the 12 Caesars:

    5d - Claudius AV aureus - dual.JPG

    The above coin commemorates his being raised to Caesar by the Praetorian Guard after the assassination of Caligula.

    He was a smart and efficient administrator, and started construction on the Port of Ostia (later completed by Nero and shown on the reverse of this Nero sestertius):

    6b - Nero AE sestertius - dual.jpg

    As portrayed in the BBC series "I, Claudius" he was a sympathetic character, probably more so than in reality, but with a lot of likable and admirable qualities. His major downfall was his abominable taste in wives, his last wife (Agrippina Jr., who was also his niece) conspiring with Nero to poison him. He apparently also had a cruel streak, as documented partly by Suetonius but mostly left out of the I, Claudius series. He survived numerous plots against his life, but as a result of those failed plots, had many Romans put to death during his reign.

    I also greatly admire Julius Caesar -- accounts of his prowess as a general and commander of the armies are legion and legendary. It's worthwhile to read about his feats at the Battle of Alesia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alesia) to truly appreciate his military ability.

    1d - Octavian & J. Caesar AV aureus - dual.jpg

    Possibly more than any other figure in history (except for Isaac Newton), Julius Caesar changed the course of the world and subsequent course of history.
     
  14. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    Very true about JC changing the course of world events.

    This is one area I do not believe the Romans were given enough credit by most. We like to read about how cruel they were, and arrogant, but truth be told we in the western world are extremely lucky. The Romans are probably about the most "civilized" people who could have risen to power. Sure the greeks, but then the Romans ended up emulating the greeks.

    Think how horrible it would have been if the Carthiginians had won, with their tradition of sacrificing their first born son in times of duress, throwing them into a fire. Most ancient cultures had what we would view today as cruel streaks, but the Romans as a whole were less than most other civilizations.

    At least that is my view. Btw, absolutely beautiful coins Idesofmarch. I love the Nero Port of Ostia most of all. That is one of the most desired of all sestertii.
     
  15. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    I'm a big fan of Marius.
     
  16. Windchild

    Windchild Punic YN, Shahanshah

    Just a minor correction... He started re-construction on the Port of Ostia (later completed by Nero and shown on the reverse of this Nero sestertius)

    Also, what a Beautiful Sesterius!


    @Medoraman

    Even though I'm extreamly interested in Carthage... I am glad that Rome won... Just not the Destruction of Carthage in the Third War (I would have liked a longer numismatic record ;))

    @Bing

    The 'Old Man' was liked then... Great General and would give positions to commoners, not just the nobility!
     
  17. Drusus

    Drusus Pecunia non olet

    This is true. I think I just developed a low opinion of Augustus at some point. :)
     
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