Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GinoLR, post: 25324724, member: 128351&quot;][ATTACH=full]1618521[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Philip the Arab (AD 244-249). Æ (28mm, 14.08 g, 7h). Dated year 2 (AD 247/8).</p><p>Obv.: <b>IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG</b>, laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right</p><p>Rev.: <b>PROVINCIA DACIA</b>, Dacia wearing Dacian cap seated left, holding curved sword and vexillum inscribed <b>XIII</b>; to left, vexillum inscribed <b>V</b> and eagle standing left, head right, with wreath in beak; to right, lion walking left; <b>AN II</b> (date) in exergue.</p><p><br /></p><p>The vexillum inscribed V symbolizes the Legio V Macedonica, whose emblem was an eagle carrying wreath, and the other one, inscrbed XIII, symbolizes the Legio XIII Gemina, whose emblem was a lion. These two legions formed the core of the <i>exercitus</i> (the provincial army) of the province of Dacia. On Gallienus&#039; legionary series, antoniniani minted at Mediolanum, these two legions will be represented by the same animals.</p><p><br /></p><p>A Roman legion had a papyrus size of 5500 personal, and a Roman army was usually composed of 50% legionary and 50% auxiliary. This means that there were 11,000 legionaries in Dacia, plus 11,000 auxiliaries (foot and horse), a total of 22,000 men and officers in theory.</p><p><br /></p><p>Legio V Macedonica had her base in Potaissa, today&#039;s Turda, Romania, near the river Aries.</p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]1618509[/ATTACH]</p> <p style="text-align: center"><font size="3">The camp of the Legio V Macedonica in today&#039;s Turda, Romania.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Legio XIII Gemina had her camp in Apulum, today&#039;s Alba lulia, Romania. near the river Marisus (Mures).</p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]1618513[/ATTACH]</p><p><font size="3">The camp of the Legio XIII Gemina in the middle of today&#039;s Alba Iulia, Romania. Its remains were covered in the 18th c. by a star fort built by the Austrian Empire.</font></p><p><br /></p><p>Both legions were first line units when the emperor Philip came there to fight the Quadi and the Carpi, a Germanic people which gave its name to the Carpathian mountains. The emperor declared victory, as usual, and was given the official name of <i>Carpicus Maximus</i> (there are antoniniani with this name on reverse). This version may be mere propaganda: the bitter truth is that some Roman forts in Western Dacia were found destroyed and never rebuilt, the latest coins found there being of Philip I... It&#039;s likely that Philip defended the province but abandoned some territory to the Barbarians, which could explain why he wasn&#039;t very popular among local troops who revolted in the following year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many Roman provincial coins with standards and vexilla are in fact colonial coins : issued by a veteran colony, the vexilla symbolize the legion in which the veterans settled in the colony used to serve. This coin is not colonial, it wasn&#039;t issued by a city but by a province, and the vexilla and emblems of the two legions symbolize active duty troops. On the reverse, Dacia is holding the standard of the Legion XIII Gemina: I don&#039;t know if this detail is significant.</p><p><br /></p><p>These coins were probably minted in Apulum, the Legio Gemina&#039;s headquarters, or in Ulpia Traiana, formerly Sarmizegetusa. The era used for the date is puzzling : year 1 was 246-247: it marks the beginning of this coinage and may correspond to Philip&#039;s arrival in Dacia. The same coins were minted for Trajan Decius, Trebonianus Gallus, Valerian and Gallienus until year X (256-7). They were probably produced for the military: most of the archaeological finds were made in military sites such as auxiliary forts or outposts.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in