It should come to no surprise that I like Emperor Magnus Maximus. Some of the reasons are because he was the last strong man of the Western Roman Empire, and the last Emperor to personally campaign across the Rhine(384). Him being a fellow Spaniard and having an awesome name doesn't hurt either! His capital for most of his reign was Augusta Treverorum, modern day Trier. Trier was also the economic capital of Gaul as it was the most populous city of that region. More importantly, and probably the reason why Maximus chose it to be his capital was because Trier served as a forward operating base against any attacks into germania. Anyway, portraits on coins of Maximus vary from mint to mint and we don't know what exactly he looked like. In some coins he looks young and energetic, i.e. my avatar coin, and in others he looks tired and somber. Coins from Trier also vary wildly in their depiction of him; some of which are actually quite anatomically humorous! Now to my coin! I recently won this baby at auction for a super cheap price, which is an anomaly when buying Siliquae. Magnus Maximus, 383-388 Siliqua Treveri circa 383-388, AR 18.5mm., 1.84g. D N MAG MAXIMVS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust r. Rev. VIRTVS ROMANORVM Roma enthroned facing, head l., holding globe and spear; in exergue, TRPS. RIC 84b. C20. Attractive old cabinet tone. Good Very Fine/About Extremely Fine. From the E.E. Clain-Stefanelli Collection I've been wanting a coin from this specific die for sometime; CNG has sold numerous coins from this die for hefty prices that were above my budget. Here they are https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=251438 https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=287343 https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=198401 This specific portrait is in my opinion one of the finer ones of Maximus. Probably because it makes him look happy and optimistic, a look that is sometimes lacking on later Roman coins. Man, don't I look good on that coin! Roman Trier The Imperial residence at Trier; what a beautiful building!
Thanks guys! Good question. My current avatar will always have a place in my heart as it was/is my first Siliqua, but damn that new coin just looks so nice! Honestly, I'll probably end up alternating between the two.
Never get tired of seeing great coins, and that is an exceptionally nice one. One to be admired . . . no, coveted. Wonderful pick-up and at a great price too. The days are getting 'brighter', my friend. As always - loved the write-up.
That is a nice example of a Magnus Maximus siliqua. Your are right that busts show wide variety of facial expressions, and your is a harmonious, well balanced one. In others he either looks chubby, or even a bit scared I think. I like siliquae too, even if a only have one in my collection. A Constantinus III from Lugdunum, but I was very fortunate to get it for a very low price as neither the seller (nor I) recognized what it was! By the way, Trier is quite a nice city nowadays, and its roman past is visible around the city. A visit there is an interesting experience for anybody interested in Roman history.
Indeed. Quite a few ancient buildings in the city got preserved only because they were used for different purposes later. e.g. the Porta Nigra that became a church and in the 19c was "romanized" again. Even though medieval Trier was considerably smaller than the Roman city, this continuity is interesting. Attached are two images of modern German coins with Trier themes. (Both are from the design competitions, hence the XY as the designer's initials. ) The €100 gold piece from 2009 is dedicated to the Unesco Cultural Heritage site, and the circulating €2 commem to be issued in February is part of the German States series. The Porta can be found on both ... Christian
Great new addition. The Magnus Maximus portrait is very nice. The reverse is nice also; attractive coin for sure! I only have one Siliqua and it doesn't have a legend so I am not sure of the emperor. I don't have a photo or I would share.
Congrats @Magnus Maximus !!! A terrific coin at a terrific price---the stuff that dreams are made of Sigh, I need to visit some of these sites VERY soon!!
Thanks guys. I will certainly have to visit Trier one day. Here are some of the more humorous portraits of Magnus Maximus on Siliquae from Trier. Not my coins
When I think of Magnus Maximus I think of his role in religion. He was the first Christian ruler to execute other Christians for heresy and witchcraft. He censured Christians for burning a Jewish synagogue so it seems it was safer to be non-Christian than the wrong flavor of Christian. This general attitude has continued since in such matters as the East/West schism, Catholic/Protestant, Sunni/Shiite, Republican/Democrat, Liberal/Conservative or whatever other differences we invent as excuses for hating people not exactly like ourselves. Magnus Maximus did not invent hate but he did serve a role in its development.
Why don't you take a picture of it? I may not be able to ID the Emperor, but I might be able to recognize the mint from the style of the portrait.
Maximus is rightly criticized for the murder of a christian bishop named Priscillian and a number of his followers. Though the reasons for the killings are a bit more complex than most think. Maximus confiscated the dead bishop's property and added the money to the treasury, this leads me to believe that the whole affair was exacerbated by the shortages in his treasury. These shortages were due to the fact he was ruling the poorer areas of the Western Roman Empire, while still paying for a giant army and bureaucracy.
Hello, I have several rsiliquae emitted in the name of Maxime, but the one that I prefer is the siliqua emitted to Aquilée (RIC54a)
Nice Siliqua @Magnus Maximus I only have one coin from Magnus Maximus, as a placeholder for my Roman Ruler portraits... RI Magnus Maximus 383-388 CE AE Follis Obv-Rev.jpg
