The Emperor Game! Can WE do it?

Here are my Julian II's:

Julian II (nephew of Constantine I), AR Siliqua. 360-361 A.D, Arles [Constantina/Arelatum] Mint, 1st Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, DN IVLIAN-VS P F AVG / Rev. VOTIS/V/MVLTIS/X in four lines within wreath. In exergue: PCON [PRIMA CONSTANTINA = First officina in Arles]. RIC VIII Arles 295, RSC V 16, Sear RCV V 19132. 17 mm., 2.2 g.


Julian II, AE Double Maiorina, 361-363 AD, Sirmium [Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia] Mint, 2nd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, FL CL IVLI-ANVS PF AVG / Bull standing right, two stars above, SECVRITAS REIPVB; in exergue: mintmark star-BSIRM-palm branch. RIC VIII Sirmium 107B (p. 392), Sear RCV V 19152 (ill.), Cohen 38. 28 mm., 8.48 g.



Julian II, AE Centenionalis, 361-363 AD, Sirmium [Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia] Mint, 2nd Officina. Obv. Pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust left, spear in right hand, shield in left, D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG / Rev. VOT/X/MVLT/XX in four lines within wreath. In exergue: BSIRM [BETA SIRMIUM = Second officina in Sirmium] RIC VIII Sirmium 108, Cohen VIII 151, Sear RCV V 19172. 20.3 mm, 3.393 g.




No Jovian or Valentinian I, but here are my Valens and Gratian:

Valens, AR Siliqua, 364-367 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. DN VALEN-S PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right / Rev. VOT- V- MV•LT - X in four lines within wreath. In exergue: Mintmark RB. RIC IX Rome 10c (p. 118), RSC V 91(h) (ill.), Sear RCV V 19687. 17 mm., 2.00 g. From 1887 East Harptree hoard (one of 19 coins of this type in hoard; see https://archive.org/details/thirdnumismatic08royauoft/page/46/mode/1up).



Gratian, AR Siliqua, 368-375 AD, Trier Mint. Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right, D N GRATIA-NVS P F AVG / Rev. Helmeted Roma seated left on throne, holding Victory on globe in right hand, and scepter in left hand, VRBS ROMA; in exergue, TRPS• (Trier Mint; PS = pvsvlatvm, struck from refined silver). RIC IX 27f(1) at p. 19, RSC V 86a, Sear RCV V 19964. 17 mm., 2.0 g.

 

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Was about to send mine

Q

 

The reverse of this bronze coin under Gratian shows Roma seated in throne. It was struck at Thessalonica Mint. Cohen 57.

 

After Gratian comes Valentinian II. Stuck at Antioch, the following coin shows V2 at the age of 9 years.

 

I think maybe we still need Valentinian I as well?

 

The Valentinian dynasty:
Emperor Valentinian I. - SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE - Constantina mint

Emperor Valens - RESTITVTOR REIP - Nicomedia mint

Emperor Gratian - GLORIA ROMANORVM - Siscia mint

Emperor Valentinian II. - REPARATIO REIPVB - mintmark unreadable

I sadly dont have a showable coin from the reign of Emperor Procopius yet but I would say his claim to the throne was pretty legit so he is one of the guys who I feel hard to call usurper.

 

Noone seems to be the one to start posting the despicable Theodosians but we have to add them for completion reasons so I will start with Theodosius I and Magnus Maximus who killed Gratian and reigned for some time as legitimate emperor next to Valentinian II. and Theodosius I.
Emperor Theodosius I - GLORIA ROMANORVM (Emperor pulling prisoner) - Thessalonica mint

Emperor Magnus Maximus - REPARATIO REIPVB - Constantina mint

 

Theodosius I



Eugenius

Honorius

Photos by Heritage/NGC, NAC and Roma

 

Here are Theodosius and Honorius.

 

I guess it's time to throw my last three cards on the table, since I have no Roman (or Byzantine) coins later than these:

Theodosius I, AE3 (Sear: Centenionalis), 379-383 AD, Alexandria mint, 3rd Officina. Obv. D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG - Diademed (Pearls), draped and cuirassed bust right / Rev. CONCORDIA AVGGG - Constantinopolis, helmeted, seated facing on throne, head right, holding spear and globe, right foot on prow. ALE(Γ) [gamma] in exergue. RIC IX 11 (p. 300), Sear RCV V 20535. 17.72 mm, 1.9 g.



Eastern Roman Empire, Arcadius (son of Theodosius I and older brother of Honorius), 383-408 AD, AV Solidus 397-402 AD, Constantinople Mint (9th Officina). Obv. Helmeted and cuirassed bust facing three-quarters right, holding spear over right shoulder and shield on left arm bearing image of horseman right; D N ARCADI-VS P F AVG / Rev. Helmeted Constantinopolis seated facing on throne, head right, with right knee bare and right foot resting on prow, holding long scepter with right hand and, on left hand, Victory with wreath standing on globe; CONCORDI-A AVGG Θ [Theta, for 9th Officina]; in exergue, CONOB [for Constantinople Mint]. RIC X 7 at. p. 240 (1994); Dumberton Oaks Catalogue, Late Roman 207-217 (217 = 9th Officina) and Plate 8 [P. Griessen. & M. Mays, Catalogue of Late Roman Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, etc. (1992)]; Sear RCV V 20706 (ill. p. 431) (1994). 20 mm., 4.44 g. Purchased from Dr. Busso Peus Nachf., Frankfurt, Germany, 1 April 2021. Ex. Auktionen Münzhandlung Sonntag Auktion 33 Lot 36 (23.11. 2020); ex. Auktion 116 München Münzhandlung Karl Kreß [Kress](Otto Helbing Nachfolger), Lot 729 (28.10.1960).



Western Roman Empire, Honorius (son of Theodosius I and younger brother of Arcadius), 393-423 AD, AV Solidus, ca. 402-408 AD. Ravenna Mint. [Note that the capital was moved from Milan to Ravenna in 402 AD.] Obv. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right [“slender bust” type; see Sear RCV V 20919 at p. 453], D N HONORI-VS P F AVG / Rev. Honorius in military attire, standing right, holding a plain military standard (a signum in the form of a vexillum, i.e., a banner draped vertically from a horizontal cross-bar attached to a pole) in right hand, and Victory on globe in left hand, his left foot set on (RIC: “spurning”) a bound barbarian captive seated left on ground with both legs visible and sharply bent at knees (bent right leg is raised upright; bent left leg lies flat on ground with left knee extending below exergue line and left foot resting against right leg*), VICTORI-A AVGGG, R-V [Ravenna] across fields and COMOB [Comitatus Obryziacum **] in exergue. RIC X 1287 at p. 328 (1994), Sear RCV V 20919 (2014), Dumberton Oaks Catalogue, Late Roman 735-736 & Plate 28 [P. Griessen. & M. Mays, Catalogue of Late Roman Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, etc. (1992); see https://archive.org/details/docoins-late-roman/page/432/mode/1up and https://archive.org/details/docoins-late-roman/page/430/mode/1up ], Cohen 44. 21 mm., 4.45 g. Ex. Collection of Egon Gerson [b. 1921; d. 2021]; David R. Sear A.C.C.S. Certificate of Authenticity dated Dec. 16, 1998, issued to Egon Gerson, No. 50AB/RI/CO/CN (“almost EF, flan slightly bent”). [Footnotes omitted.]



And I'm out!

 

Julian II
AR Siliqua
Trier mint, 360-363 CE
18mm, 1.79 grams
RIC VIII 364

Jovian
AE1
Thessalonica, 363-364 CE
28mm, 7.51 grams
RIC 234

Valentinian I
AE3
Siscia mint, 364-367 CE
17.5mm, 2.4 grams
RIC 7A

Valens
AE3
Siscia mint, 364-367 CE
19mm, 2.36 grams
RIC IX Siscia 7b

Gratian
AE3
Rome mint, 367-383 CE
18mm, 2.56 grams
RIC IX, Rome 24C

Valentinian II
AE2
Nicomedia mint, 375-392 CE
23mm, 4.17 grams

Magnus Maximus
AE2
Arelate mint, 383-388 CE
24mm, 5.14 grams
RIC IX Arles 26A, P

Theodosius I
AE2
Cyzicus, 392-395 CE
22mm, 4.61 grams
RIC IX Cyzicus 27A

Arcadius
AE2
Cyzicus, 378-383 CE
22.5mm, 4.75 grams
RIC IX Cyzicus 15

Honorius
AE2
Nicomedia, 393-423 CE
22mm, 4.9 grams
RIC IX Nicomedia 46X

Theodosius II
AE4
402-450 CE
12mm, .96 grams

 

Why were the Theodosians despicable?

 

A quick rewind to a missed and fun figure… Procopius. …terrible photo… I need to reshoot this one.

 

@Gregory Johnston I dont know how deep you are into roman history but here a short version why I think the Theodosians are the worst emperors that ever ruled the empire (Some of this might be personal bias)
Many criticise Theodosius for his barbarian policys but my main points are his religious policy and his succesion. In the year 390 he ordered a big massacre killing around 7000 civilians in the greek city of Thessalonica. In the aftermath it seems that he didnt really want this and it just was an order that he gave out in a phase of rage he had after a minor rebellion in the city. But because murdering 7000 civilians isnt really the christian way he begged the church for forgiveness and received it by making policys intolerant to the old cults, jews and christian "heretics". He ordered the destruction of temples and didnt mind when christian mobs killed famous "pagans". An interesting movie about this time is Agora (2009) - playing in Alexandria in this time and mainly about the famous mathematician, philosopher and astronomer Hypatia.
Theodosius focus was clearly on the eastern empire so he kinda destroyed the western empire by making war against two competent western emperors to replace them with powerless childs. After destroying the western roman army and their leadership in the battle of frigidus he placed his son Honorius on the western throne. He would become the synonyme for lazy and incompetent rule while his brother Arcadius in the east at least had the decency to die early.
The aftermath of the battle of frigidus would become a big factor in the fall the empire because Theodosius tried to kill two enemies at once by using his gothic allies as cannonfodder. This didnt really make the goths happy servants and during the reign of Honorius and Arcadius they constantly tried to get compensated for their services, in the end leading to the sack of rome in the year 410.
Anyways here the two masters of disaster :
Emperor Arcadius - GLORIA ROMANORVM (Emperor standing next to captive) - Constantinople mint

Emperor Honorius - VIRTVS EXERCITI - Antioch mint

 

@wittwolf Great write up. Thanks!!

 

Whose will be the last post in this thread?

Not sure if we've seen a Flavius Victor:


Late western

Johannes:


Valentinian III (Cherson issue):


Galla Placidia:


Libius Severus w/ Ricimer monogram:


Late eastern

Marcian:


Leo I:


Zeno:


Basiliscus (semissis):


Which brings us to Anastasius... I assume we're not going further.


Anyone have Majorian?

 

Thank you so much for explaining!

 

I think, according to many Historians, that the Eastern Roman Empire ended with Leo II who was governing together with his father Leo I. The Western Roman Empire ended with Romulus Augustus. As for the Byzantine Empire, it started with Zeno.