He was raised Emperor and died OCTOBER 28th

Le Louvre, Paris

The History
Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius was born around 279 AD, the son of the joint Emperor Maximianus with his wife Eutropia. Despite his birth status and his senatorial rank, Maxentius was passed over twice in the succession to the throne. In 305 AD, when both Diocletian and his father retired from office, Maxentius was passed over for the rank of Caesar losing out to Galerius and Constantius Chlorus (father of Constantine the Great). Even if he was married to the daughter of Galerius, Valeria Maximilla, Maxentius was passed over a second time after the death of Constantius I when Severus II was raised to the rank of Augustus and Constantine was given the rank of Caesar. After this second humiliation, Maxentius led a revolt 306 AD in an attempt to claim what he believed to be his birth right to the throne. On October 28, 306 AD, all of Rome rose in support of Maxentius thereby proclaiming him to be Emperor. In resume, Its power extends over the whole of Italy and the African provinces which accept the supply of wheat and oil to Rome. For a long time, he managed to free himself from the threats posed to his power by the heirs of Diocletian, in particular Galerius. He brings back to business his father, Maximien Hercules and he forges alliance relations with Constantine. Gradually, however, his position weakened and his political isolation grew. Quarreling with his father, Maximien Hercules, in 308, he also had to face the secession of the African provinces. For the next 4 years, the civil war ravaged the empire and finally only two opposants were still alive.

At the battle of Milvian bridge, Constantine's the Great armies defeated Maxentius's troops, who retreated to the Tiber, and in the chaos of the fleeing army trying to cross the river, Maxentius fell into the water and drowned. His body was found the next day and paraded through the city, and later sent to Africa, as a sign that he had surely perished. It happened on October 28, 312 AD, exactly 6 years after he was raised to the title of Emperor...

The Coinage
The coins that were issued under his authority, include illustrations inspired by the great legends of the founding of Rome and its early days: the She-Wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, the god Mars , both god of war and father of these divine twins. He possessed at least five mints that didn't produced simultaneously, though; Rome was the only mint Maxentius had at his disposal during his entire reign. After he was defeated, a large portion of his coins were collected and brought to the Constantinian mints to be melted down, which explain the relative scarcity of his coinage in comparison of the other rulers of that era. Much like his enemy Constantine, he reduced the size of the nummus to 1/48 of a pound around 307 AD in Italy and North Africa.

Interesting fact
In December 2006, Italian archaeologists announced that an excavation under a shrine near the Palatine Hill had unearthed several items in wooden boxes, which they identified as the imperial regalia, possibly belonging to Maxentius.The items in these boxes, which were wrapped in linen and what appears to be silk, include 3 complete lances, 4 javelins, what appears to be a base for standards, and three glass and chalcedony spheres. The most important find was a scepter of a flower holding a blue-green globe, which is believed to have belonged to the Emperor himself because of its intricate workmanship, and has been dated to his rule. These are the only known imperial insignia so far recovered.



On this day of his coronation and death, please show us your nicest Maxentius coins !

Maxentius Rome



Maxentius Ostia

 

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Nice article @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix - here's my Maxentius:

Maxentius, 306-312 A.D.

Type: AE Follis, Rome mint (probably) 308-310 A.D.

Obverse: Laureate head of Maxentius right, IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG

Reverse: Roma seated facing left, holding orb, in hexastyle temple with peaked roof, wreath in pediment, CONSERV VRB SVAE

Reference: RIC 210; Sear 14987

 

Wonderful write up! I had no idea his scepter was found; wish I knew when I was in Rome last year. For those like me who didn’t know and are looking to see it post-COVID, it resides in the National Museum of Rome.

 

I also think it's cool that some of these implements were found. Kind of unique.

 

Thanks for the writeup, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix. And love the huge flan of that Ostia mint follis.

MAXENTIUS
AE Follis. 10.27g, 27.5mm. Carthage mint, 2nd officina, early AD 307 AD. RIC 57, Failmezgar 123. O: IMP MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: CONSERVATOR AFRICAE SVAE, Africa standing left, wearing elephant skin headdress and holding signum and tusk, at feet to left a lion with captured bull; SE-F in fields, B in exergue.


MAXENTIUS
AE Follis. 6.05g, 25.6mm. Ostia mint, AD late 309 - October 312. RIC 45. O: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. R: FIDES MILITVM AVG N, Fides standing left, holding two standards; MOSTT in exergue.


MAXENTIUS
AE Follis. 6.44g, 25.3mm. Aquileia mint, circa AD 309. RIC VI Aquileia 125 var. (obv legend). O: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG CONS II, laureate and mantled bust right, holding eagle-tipped sceptre. R: CONSERV VRB SVAE, a hexastyle temple with star in pediment and Victories as acroteria, within which is Roma seated facing, holding globe and sceptre; AQP in exergue.

 

@Ocatarinetabellatchitchix .......Great write up and nice coins....
I won't post mine as the Rome RIC20 has already been posted twice....

 

Another great article, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix ! And nice coins.

Here is my Maxentius


RI Maxentius 306-312 CE AE Folles Dioscuri holding their horses She-Wolf

 

Nicest is hard to define. There are many varieties of the common temple type. My best condition:

My nicest type you don't see every day and one I am unlikely to improve:


My favorite type but the coin could be upgraded with a little looking:

 

Happy Birthday Max, despite your untimely demise . I bought the coin pictured below from a CNG auction several years ago, it was later pictured in an NGC article posted on 3/10/2020, NGC Ancients, Mints of the Roman Empire .

Maxentius, AD 307 - 312 (struck 309-312), Ostia Mint, 3rd Officina, AE follis: 7.08 gm, 25 mm, 12 h. The reverse depicts Fides holding two signum. RIC VI 45. Photo by Curtisimo the Great(ish).

 

That middle one Doug with the Probus-like portrait is really cool.

 

Maxentius. Minted circa 309-312 CE. AE follis. 24mm. Ostia mint, fourth officina. Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. Reverse: AETERNITAS AVG N, the Dioscuri Castor and Pollux standing facing each other, each holding a scepter and holding a horse by the bridle. MOSTQ in exergue. Van Meter 14. RIC VI Ostia 35.

 

That one is my nicest, but this one is almost as nice.

It has a very glossy patina and is ex Phil Peck Collection.


Maxentius. Minted circa 310-312 CE. AE Follis. 24mm, 5.28g. Ostia mint, first officina. 2nd emission, 2nd phase. Obverse: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, laureate head right. Reverse: VICTORIA AETERNA AVG N, Victory advancing left, holding wreath and palm. MOSTP in exergue. RIV VI Ostia 54.

 

Great write-up, O. Here's my example from Ostia...one of my favorite reverses (and apparently a very popular reverse type in this thread).



Maxentius, Follis, (Silvered Bronze, 25 mm, 7.36 g), Ostia, 308- 312. Laureate head of Maxentius to right./ Rev. AETERNITAS AVG N /MOSTA, The Dioscuri Castor and Pollux standing facing, each with a star above their caps, holding bridle of horse in right hand and scepter in left; between them, she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus. RIC 16

 

Ocat, Another excellent article from you ! Pictured below is a belter looking marble head of Maxentius, from the Dresden Colosseum in Rome. This head looks like the avatar used by OutsiderSubtype .

 

Nice coins of an interesting historical figure, everyone!


Maxentius, Roman Empire, AE1 ("follis"), 307–308 AD, Ticinium mint. Obv: MAXENTIVS P F AVG; bust of Maxentius, laureate, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated in hexastyle temple, holding globe and sceptre; in exergue, PT. 26mm, 7.06g. Ref: RIC VI Ticinium 95.


Maxentius, Roman Empire, AE1 (“follis”), 309–310 AD, Rome mint. Obv: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG; head of Maxentius, laureate, r. Rev: CONSERV VRB SVAE; Roma seated l. in hexastyle temple, holding globe and sceptre and leaning on shield; in pediment wreath, in exergue, RBT. 25.5mm, 6.27g. Ref: RIC VI Rome 210.


Maxentius, Roman Empire, AE1 ("follis"), 309–312 AD, mint: Ostia. Obv: IMP C MAXENTIVS PF AVG, laureate head right. Rev: AETERNITAS AVG N, the Dioscuri standing facing each other, each holding sceptre and the reins of his horse, mintmark MOSTQ. 24 mm, 5.38 g. Ref: RIC VI, 35 Q.

 

Yep, I use that as my avatar because I really like his coins.

The avatar does not imply a political endorsement of Maxentius although he did have a good infrastructure plan.

 

Thanks for the write up @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

My only Maxentius coin:

 

Great write up, as usual, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix!

Maxentius with a disco dance party going on the pediment of the temple on mine:


Maxentius as Augustus, AD 307-312.
Roman billon follis, 6.53 g, 24.6 mm, 10 h.
Rome, AD 307-308.
Obv: IMP C MAXENTIVS P F AVG, radiate head right.
Rev: CONSERV VRB SVAE, Roma seated facing in hexastyle temple, head left, globe in right hand, scepter in left, shield at side behind, Victories as acroteria, wreath on pediment, H left, R S in exergue.
Refs: RIC 202a; Cohen 21; RCV 14986.

 

..kool coin(s) & story! ..i've bid on several but have yet to get ein of this fella...@Ryro has a coin minted for his son too

 

As Doug would say when he was growing up:

“Anuthr’n”


Roman Imperial
Maxentius 306-312 CE
AE Folles
Dioscuri holding their horses (She-Wolf must have run away?)