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Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 2867467, member: 83845"]During the third century AD the Roman Empire entered a period of chaos that nearly led to its complete collapse.  Scholars traditionally date this rapid decline from the death of Severus Alexander at the hands of his own troops in AD 235 to the ascension of the great reformer Diocletian in AD 284.  While Diocletian often gets all the credit as the emperor who ended the crisis it is highly unlikely that there would have been an empire left to save if not for the efforts of an often underrated emperor; Aurelian.  In addition, Aurelian’s equally interesting wife may well have held imperial power on an interim bases after the death of her husband (the only woman thought to have done so).  I recently acquired both of these great coins from [USER=42773]@John Anthony[/USER]. [ATTACH=full]684359[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireAurelian, AD 270-275BI Antoninianus, Serdica Mint, struck ca. AD 274/5Wt.: 4.1 gDia.: 25 mm, 12hObv.: IMP C AVERLIANVS PF AVG; Radiate, cuirassed bust right.Rev.: RESTITVT ORBIS; Woman standing right presents wreath to Aurelian standing left holding spear, star between, KAA in exergueRef.: RIC 288 [ATTACH=full]684360[/ATTACH]Roman EmpireUlpia Severina Augusta, AD 274-275BI Anoninianus, Antioch mint, struck ca. AD 275Wt.: 4.1 gDia.: 23 mm, 12hObv.: SEVERINA PF AVG; Diademed, draped bust right, set on a crescent.Rev.: CONCORDIA AVG; Emperor and Empress standing, facing, clasping hands.; Q //XXIRef.: RIC V 19 The Reign of Aurelian AD 270-275 Aurelian’s greatest accomplishment as emperor is that he was able to reunify the Roman Empire by defeating and expelling the Germanic tribes that had invaded northern Italy and the Balkans and by reconquering the parts of the empire that had rebelled to form independent splinter states.  In 260 the provinces of Gaul and Britannia had formed what is known as the Gallic Empire and by the end of AD 271 the eastern part of the empire (Syria, the Levant, and Egypt) had been conquered by the rebellious city of Palmyra.[ATTACH=full]684361[/ATTACH]Palmyra’s control of Egypt was particularly concerning because it threatened the grain supply to Rome.  In 271 Aurelian defeated the Germanic tribes and in 272 Aurelian recaptured Palmyra and brought their queen Zenobia and her son back to Rome for his triumph.  In 273 he was forced to return and burn Palmyra to the ground for attempting another rebellion.  In 274 Aurelian turned his attention to the Gallic Empire and met the army of its usurper emperor Tetricus at the Battle of Chalons.  One of the disputed theories of what happened at the battle is that Tetricus knew he could not defeat Aurelian and decided to cut a deal by placing his army in a bad position and then defecting to the Roman Camp.  Whether this is true or not it is indisputable that Aurelian annialated the Gallic legions and then spared Tetricus's life and gave him a position within the Italian bureaucracy. RESTITVT ORBIS – Restorer of the World [ATTACH=full]684365[/ATTACH]Left - Bust of Aurelian. Right - Painting of Queen Zenobia and her son being presented to Aurelian (ca. 1717) (Modified from Wikipedia images) After his victory over the Gallic Empire Aurelian was given his final honorific by the senate; Restorer of the World.  When considering the monumental challenges that the empire faced at the beginning of his reign and how effectively and rapidly he was able to overcome these difficulties the title seems to be a fitting one.  My new coin shown above was struck in the last year or two of Aurelian’s reign and celebrates his new title while showing the emperor accepting a wreath and holding a spear (a fairly common and inexpensive type). Another interesting numismatic feature of Aurelian’s reign is that the only known mint revolt took place during his reign because he insisted that the mint workers stop stealing the silver meant for the coins (how dare he)!  This interesting episode has been discussed previously on the forum but it is interesting to note because it marks the beginning of the mint in Rome’s loss of primacy. Aurelian and the Walls of Rome One of the unsurprising features of the Crisis of the Third Century is that it was almost completely devoid of the type of important monumental architecture that had defined the reigns of previous emperors.  The Aurelian Walls of Rome are one of the most prominent exceptions to that rule.  The walls were built following the Germanic invasion of Italy in 270/1 mentioned above.  Rome had long since outgrown the Republican era Servian walls that had served it well against Hannibal and took pride in the fact that it did not require fortifications.  Aurelian realized that this attitude was no longer sustainable and set about to fortify the city.  The walls were improved in the 4th and 5th centuries and today owe their great state of preservation to the fact that they continued to serve as the city of Rome’s primary defense until September 1870 when the walls were breached by forces loyal to the Kingdom of Italy during the reunification of Italy.[ATTACH=full]684367[/ATTACH]Map of Ancient Rome showing the Servian Walls (Black) and the Aurelian Walls (Red) (Wikipedia)[ATTACH=full]684369[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]684370[/ATTACH] The Reign of Ulpia Severina Augusta? In 275 Aurelian was killed by members of his Praetorian Guard after his secretary became fearful that the emperor would punish him (unclear as to why) and forged documents that showed the emperor meant to have several of his guards executed.  In the aftermath the legions made the uncharacteristic move of deferring to the senate as to who should replace Aurelian as emperor.  The senate debated this question for more than a year and during this time it is believed that Severina wielded imperial power in cooperation with the senate on the evidence that her coins were continuously struck up until the senate declared Tacitus as the new emperor in 276.  If this is the case then she would have been the only woman in history to have been the sole leader of the Roman Empire!  My above example shows the empress clasping hands with her husband Aurelian and is among the types that give evidence for her sole reign (see below). Edit: [USER=75937]@Roman Collector[/USER] has a fascinating post about the coins of Severina and how they show evidence of her sole rulership as empress. I highly encourage those interested to read through the thread if you haven't already. <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-severina-antioch-mint-with-a-very-unusual-hairstyle-for-her.302370/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-severina-antioch-mint-with-a-very-unusual-hairstyle-for-her.302370/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-severina-antioch-mint-with-a-very-unusual-hairstyle-for-her.302370/</a> Please post your coins of Severina, Aurelian or your favorite Crisis of the Third Century emperor![/QUOTE]

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