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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Blake Davis, post: 8219711, member: 91820&quot;]I recently read the ancient historian Herodian&#039;s section on Maximinus, in the Loeb eidition, with lengthy notes from the translator, which gave me a completely different view of Maximinus.&nbsp; From originally thinking of him only from the Roman Senate&#039;s point of view, that is, an uncouth illiterate barbarian usurper,&nbsp; murderer of the gentle rightful emperor, who ran a repressive regime, I realized that more than likely he was forced to accept the throne, and further, that he was exactly the kind of emperor that was needed at the time.&nbsp; Yes, he made exactions in support of the war effort but he certainly appears as a courageous soldier and emperor, who led from the front, and whose exploits were communicated at length to the people and Senate of Rome.&nbsp; And yes money was needed, but it is not as if it was used for anything but a very necessary war effort. </p><p><br /></p><p>The Senators didn&#039;t like him because he didn&#039;t tolerate dissent, and needed money to fund the war, was of low origins and had killed a well liked emperor.&nbsp; But, how much different was he - except for this birth - than Septimius Severus, who also murdered his way to the throne and went off on an unnecessary war in Parthia that may well have so weakened the Parthians that a far greater foe - Persia - was eventually put in its place? </p><p><br /></p><p>In short, if Maximinus had lived and enjoyed a lengthy reign, the decades of wars that plagued Rome throughout the latter part of the third century may never have happened.&nbsp; While much of this is reading between the lines in Herodian&#039;s account, how about this - if Maximinus was such a poor emperor, why did he prosecute the war in Germany at all, would it have not been much easier for him to simply go to Rome and enjoy himself?&nbsp; Instead, we have a true worrier emperor, which, as noted, was exactly what was needed at the time. In other words, while the Senate whined about his low birth, and so called repressive regime (repression being not exactly a rare condition at the time under the Severans) Maximinus was out there fighting for Rome even at the risk of his own neck.</p><p><br /></p><p>What can I say, I admire the guy - all this because of Herodian who is anything but sympathetic to Maximinus.</p><p><br /></p><p>P.S. I have had some beautiful Maximinus sestertii in the past but these have all been sold in order to afford coins in my collecting interest.&nbsp; But[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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