Favorite roman emperor??

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by iameatingjam, Mar 15, 2021.

  1. iameatingjam

    iameatingjam Well-Known Member

    Antoninus Pius isn't the most well known and didn't win any impressive battles but I think peace and stability are really more important than those things!

    Whats your favorite roman emperor/empress?


    anton2 -1.jpg

    anton 2 - 2.jpg
     

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  3. Evan Saltis

    Evan Saltis OWNER - EBS Numis LLC Supporter

  4. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    I vote Antoninus Pius. His wife, Faustina Senior, also happen to be my favorite Roman empress. :)
     
  5. Matthew Kruse

    Matthew Kruse Young Numismatist

    This could very well change as I learn more about Roman history, but my favorite Roman Emperor I know of would be Constantine the Great. Not just because he is the only ancients I have, but because he made Christianity the official religion of Rome. I'm still learning about Roman history and ancient coins though so I don't know nearly as much as a bunch of you guys on here.
     
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  6. iameatingjam

    iameatingjam Well-Known Member

    I was having an argument with a friend of mine. she was saying constantine was a bad emperor, I was saying he was a good emperor ( well, an okay emperor). She pointed out that he boiled his wife alive. I thought that couldn't be true... I look it up, seems like it very well could be true :O
     
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  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    These two!

    [​IMG]
    Marcus Aurelius, AD 161-180.
    Roman orichalcum sestertius, 21.36 g, 29.5 mm, 12 h.
    Rome, AD 173.
    Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVII, head of Marcus Aurelius, laureate, right.
    Rev: RESTITVTORI ITALIAE IMP VI COS III, Marcus Aurelius, in military dress, standing left, holding vertical spear in left hand and clasping right hands with Italia kneeling right before him, holding globe in left hand; SC in exergue.
    Refs: RIC 1077; BMCRE 1449-1450; Cohen 538; RCV 4997; MIR 259.

    [​IMG]
    Faustina II, AD 147-175.
    Roman oricalchum sestertius, 22.36 gm, 33.7 mm, 12 h.
    Rome, December AD 160.
    Obv: FAVSTINA AVGVSTA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
    Rev: FECVND AVGVSTAE S C, (Faustina as) Fecunditas standing left, between two children (thought to represent Faustina III and Lucilla), holding two infants in her arms (thought to represent Fadilla and Cornificia).
    Refs: RIC 1635; BMCRE 902-904; Cohen 96; Strack 1336; RCV 5273; MIR 10.
     
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  8. Matthew Kruse

    Matthew Kruse Young Numismatist

    Wow. It looks like he might’ve killed both his son and his wife. :nailbiting: History is very interesting lol.
     
  9. Mat

    Mat Ancient Coincoholic

    Gallienus

    My favorite coin of many.

    gali.jpeg
    Gallienus (253 - 268 A.D.)
    AR Antoninianus
    O: IMP C P LIC GALLIENVS AVG, Radiate and cuirassed bust right.
    R: IOVI CONSERVA, Jupiter standing left, head turned right, holding scepter in right and thunderbolt in left.
    5.1g
    24mm
    RIC 143F (Rome) Sear 10237
     
  10. JPD3

    JPD3 Well-Known Member

    upload_2021-3-16_0-42-37.png
    Marcus Salvius Otho. There were others that served shorter reigns, but he didn’t do too bad, considering that he wanted Nero’s woman for himself.
    https://www.ancient.eu/Otho/
     
  11. iameatingjam

    iameatingjam Well-Known Member

    Agree! Faustina is the best!

    Cool! don't think I've even heard of him...
     
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  12. OutsiderSubtype

    OutsiderSubtype Well-Known Member

    Well, I have a few favorites, here are some of them.

    Antoninus Pius is a great choice. He spent his time building roads and aqueducts and keeping the food supply stable. And of course his true love Faustina Senior, who seems to have been quite popular and a patron of education. Here is Diva Faustina:

    coin-outsider-collection-Vk5C5q-stitched-basic-medium.jpg
    Vespasian is probably the emperor I would most like to meet personally. If I am to believe Suetonius he had a great sense of humor and could even take a joke at his own expense. He would also have crazy war stories from all his campaigns.

    coin-outsider-collection-nmClab-stitched-basic-medium.jpg

    Diocletian is another favorite, I don't care for everything he did, but the fact is he was handed an impossible situation where it would be extremely difficult to even survive. Yet he did survive and he did more than anyone else to end the Crisis of the Third Century. He had to turn the empire into basically an armed camp to do it, and many of his reforms probably were awful for ordinary people, but he at least he ensured the survival of Roman culture, law, and administration.

    coin-outsider-collection-8eC3gR-stitched-basic-medium.jpg

    And from my avatar you can tell that I also like Maxentius, although in his case it's more amusement at his grand ambitions and shameless propaganda campaigns than any sort of admiration of effective rule (some of his building projects were cool though).

    coin-outsider-collection-V6zCkZ-stitched-basic-medium.jpg
     
  13. JayAg47

    JayAg47 Well-Known Member

    Aurelian! If not for him, the Roman Empire would’ve never seen the light of the 4th century, let alone the 1000 more years of Byzantine empire, and Christianity without being recognised would’ve disappeared just like yet another cult! 466F0B85-D672-40D1-8855-72894987573F.png
     
  14. Parthicus

    Parthicus Well-Known Member

    Marcus Aurelius would be my vote for most personally admirable, a true philosopher-emperor. His only flaw would be leaving the empire to his worthless son Commodus instead of choosing a worthy successor while he still lived:
    Marcus Aurelius Restitutori Italiae.jpg
    But the emperor I would most want to meet is still Vespasian, for his sense of humor:
    Vespasian.jpg
     
  15. iameatingjam

    iameatingjam Well-Known Member

    I like marcus aurelius' character ( I even have his book) but I cant let the commodus part go I mean that should be one of your top priorities as a leader.. finding a good successor. and his not doing this was arguably the beggining of the end.
     
  16. Numisnewbiest

    Numisnewbiest Well-Known Member

    For me it's not even close - Vespasian all day, every day. One day to sit with him and just talk would be incredible, and he seems like someone who would be more than happy to oblige, and enjoy it just as much. When he became emperor, he was just what Rome needed at that time.

    1661928_1612134918.jpg
     
  17. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    I find Decius and Carus and their respective sons the most interesting due to their inovative but tragically shortcut reigns and promising dynasties ending under mysterious circumstances.

    161076039_10226279424518776_9000793938222758995_o.jpg

    Herennius Etruscus as Caesar
    Sestertius, 250/251 A.D.
    28,67 mm / 15,70 gr
    Q HER ETR MES DECIVS NOB C / PIETAS AVGG S C
    RIC 167a corr.(draped); Cohen 12; Sear 9531, Banti 1
     
  18. Restitutor

    Restitutor Well-Known Member

    Domitian! He smacked down the conservative Senate and didn’t put up with bs. Beloved by the people and army. Efficient. Educated. Warrior. Handsome. Made the coins we all love to collect more valuable. What’s not to love!

    5D3F6968-7919-4576-ACB4-E934F3EDCE2A.jpeg
     
  19. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

  20. Orielensis

    Orielensis Well-Known Member

    For me, it's a tie between Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. The former consolidated the empire, stopped the wasteful expansionism of his predecessors, and stimulated a renewal of Greek philosophy, scholarship and art. The latter reigned more than twenty years in peace while Rome thrived both culturally and economically – probably the greatest success that any ruler should wish for.

    Rom – Hadrian, As, Salus.jpg
    Hadrian, Roman Empire, AE as, 125–128 AD, Rome mint. Obv: HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS; bust of Hadrian, laureate, r. Rev: COS III; Salus, draped, standing r., feeding snake out of patera; in fields flanking, SC. 26mm, 10.2g. Ref: RIC II Hadrian, 669c.

    Rom – Antoninus Pius, Denar, Annona mit Bug.png
    Antoninus Pius, Roman Empire, denarius, 155–156 AD, Rome mint. Obv: [ANTO]NINVS AVG PIVS PP [IMP II], head of Antoninus Pius, laureate, r. Rev: TR POT XIX [CO]S III, Annona standing l., holding corn ears, resting l. hand on modius standing on prow with rudder leaning on it. 18mm, 3.27g. Ref: RIC III Antoninus Pius 249.
     
  21. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    VINDEX

    With the courage to stand up to the Julio-Claudian dynasty, without an army, per se, and precipitate a civil war to stop them.

    [​IMG]
    RI Civil War VINDEX 68-69 CE AR Denarius 3.22g Gallic mint SALVS GENERIS HVMANI Victory l globe - SPQR in wreath RIC 72 BMCRE 34-36 RSC 420 R


    VESPASIAN

    - A new kind of Emperor, not an "entitled" Patrician:

    [​IMG]
    RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius Victory seated wreath palm RIC 802 Rare


    TRAIANUS

    [​IMG]
    Trajan, AD 98-117.
    Æ As, 26mm, 11.0g, 6h; Rome mint.
    Obv: IMP CAES NER TRAIANO OPTIMO AVG GER DAC PARTHICO P M TR P COS VI P P; Laureate and draped bust right.
    Rev: SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS; Victory, draped, advancing right, holding wreath in right hand and palm frond in left; S-C
    Reference: RIC 675


    And the ANTI-EMPERORS trying to stop the man from stealing the government of the Republic:

    LIBERATORS

    CASSIUS

    [​IMG]
    GAIUS CASSIUS LONGINUS & PUBLIUS CORNELIUS LENTULUS SPINTHER
    Proconsul and Imperator
    AR silver Denarius.
    Struck circa 42 BC, at a mobile military mint moving with Brutus & Cassius, probably located in Smyrna.
    C CASSI IMP LEIBERTAS, veiled & draped bust of Libertas right.
    Rev: - LENTVLVS SPINT, jug & lituus.
    18mm, 3.3g.
    Craw 550-5, Sydenham 1305. Sear, Imperators 223. Cohen 6 (4 Fr.)
    Ex: Incitis


    BRUTUS

    [​IMG]
    Roman Republic 54 BCE
    AR Denarius, 18.3mm, 3.7g
    Moneyer: Marcus Iunius Brutus (aka Quintus Servillius Caepio Brutus)
    Obv: Bare hd of L. Iunius Brutus (Consul 509 BCE), Bearded r, BRVTVS behind
    Rev: Bare hd of C. Servilius Ahala (Master of the Horse 439 BCE), bearded r, AHALA behind
    Ref: Sear 398, Crawford 433/2,
    from collection W. Esty CKXSUB 613
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2021
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