Galerius Maximianus bronze follis

Hey Doug!

Just wanted to know if there was any book on this period that I could read

 

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Are you referring to the Dyarchy of Diocletian and Maximianus?

Diocletian (Caius Aurelius Verus Diocletianus) was proclaimed Augustus in AD 284. The following year he appointed Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus (Maximian Herculius), a close military comrade, as his Caesar elevating him to co-Augustus a year later thereby creating a Dyarchy.

In 293 Diocletian finalized the Institution of a Tetrarchy -- government of the Empire by four interacting rulers -- two Augusti assisted by two subordinate Caesars, which each Augustus would personally select. The two Caesars, chosen because of their proven leadership abilities, assisted the Augusti with civil administration and command of the armies. Caius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (Galerius Maximian) was chosen by Diocletian to be his Caesar of the East and Flavius Valerius Constantius (Constantius) was chosen by Maximian Herculius be his Caesar of the West. The Empire was divided into four geographical areas of governance: Diocletian and Galerius Maximian maintained their eastern headquarters at Nicomedia and Thessalonica respectively, while Maximian Herculius and Constantius maintained their western headquarters at Milan and Trier respectively.

• DIOCLETIAN AND THE TETRARCHY, Roger Rees, Edinburgh University Press Ltd, (2004).
• IN PRAISE OF LATER ROMAN EMPERORS (The Panegyrici Latini), C. E. V. Nixon and Barbara Saylor Rodgers, University of California Press, (1994).
• GALERIUS AND THE WILL OF DIOCLETIAN, William Lewis Leadbetter, Routledge, New York, (2013).

 

You understood me corectly.
Thank you so very much for great references!

 

Most information about emperors can be found on-line, but I prefer to read good paper books. I recommend this one
The Roman Emperors by Michael Grant
which can be bought on Amazon for as little as $5.50 including shipping (in the US). He was President of the Royal Numismatic Society so he knows the contributions of coins to history and his short biographies mention coins more frequently than most biographies (although only one portrait piece is depicted per emperor). Hardback, 366 pages. 6 1/2" by 9 1/2".

 

I agree with Valentinian. There are several biographies of Diocletian that are probably overkill for most of us at least until we have read a more general history like Grant. Check to see what your local library has. Large text books get expensive unless you are really into the question. There was a time that I really loved hardcopy books but vanity press and publishing on demand has made it about as likely that you will find junk on paper as online. I suggest reading what you can find online first these days. It is fashionable in some circles to make fun of Wikipedia but amteurs like me can start there and determine if they want to go deeper into the question. The Wikipedia list of books for further reading on Diocletian is longer than you will read. You might even enjoy the You Tube lecture on him by a Yale University professor. I don't know how he compares to other historians but I can think of worse ways to spend 48 minutes at a time (there are several lectures available). I have not listened to all of these but there is good there for those who prefer to be told rather than to read.


The point here is there is a lot of material on Diocletian. Your problem will be finding what fits your needs. I note that current educational theories favor concepts and spend less time on names and dates than was once the fashion. Coin collectors might prefer older sources that align better with all the names they find on coins leaving concepts and modern theories for later.

 

That really makes my day (maybe my year, Erin) - thank you! To be called a “cool bro” at my age is indeed a great accolade - according to my great-grandchildren who are enormously impressed.

 

It is a title well deserved!

Erin