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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Julius Germanicus, post: 3362219, member: 80783&quot;]Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus was one of the very few Soldier Emperors of Italian origin, born around the year 206 AD in Perugia.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]891274[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>IMP CAES C VIBIVS TREBONIANVS GALLVS AVG - laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Trebonianus Gallus right</p><p>SALVS&nbsp; AVGG&nbsp; - Salus standing left, holding scepter and feeding snake coiling up around and raising from altar, S C in field</p><p>Sestertius, Rome (first emission), June - August 251</p><p>21,2 gr / 30 mm</p><p>RIC 122a, Cohen 119, Hunter 44, Sear 9679, Banti 32 (5 Specimens)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]891275[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>In 250 Gallus became governor of Upper Moesia and it was him who led the relief force that arrived too late when the Emperors Decius and Herennius Etruscus fought their heroic but futile last stand in the swamps of Abritus in the first days of June, 251 (see my writeup here: <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-traianus-decius-sestertius-dacia.320502/#post-3153783" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-traianus-decius-sestertius-dacia.320502/#post-3153783">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/new-traianus-decius-sestertius-dacia.320502/#post-3153783</a> ).</p><p><br /></p><p>Nevertheless, he was immediately hailed Emperor by the surviving troops. The Senate and people of Rome however made a different choice and instead raised&nbsp; Decius´ surviving younger son, the teenage Caesar Hostilian, who had stayed behind in the&nbsp; imperial palace with his mother, the Augusta Herennia Etruscilla, as new Emperor.</p><p>Mainly concerned with reaching Rome quickly to solidify his position, Gallus hastily signed an unpopular peace treaty with the Goths.</p><p><br /></p><p>When he arrived at Rome in mid-June at the head of an army, the Senate could do little but accept Trebonianus as senior co-Emperor, who instead adopted Hostilian but insisted on his natural son Volusian being accepted as Caesar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two of the six officinae of the imperial mint now struck for Trebonianus and Hostilian, while one would have struck for Volusianus as Caesar and the last probably for Hostilian´s mother (and Decius´ widow) Herennia Etruscilla.</p><p><br /></p><p>Apart from the uneasy dynastic solution, Gallus on his arrival in Rome was confronted with another problem: the Cyprianic plague that had been ravaging the province of Egypt since 249 had finally reached the capital and 5000 people a day were dying in Rome.</p><p><br /></p><p>The SALVS reverse illustrated here may mark the beginning of the terrible plague that came to devastate Italy and the Empire. The salvation of the Augustii is invoked to protect Rome against the plague.</p><p>According to RIC,&nbsp; the two types of SALVS AVGG were struck during the first issue of Trebonianus Gallus, during his short co-rule with Hostilian, in the Summer of 251 a.D.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is Hostilian featuring his main new reverse type of Securitas, the assurance won by the peaceful agreement of him and his new stepfather Trebonianus:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]891288[/ATTACH]</p><p>IMP CAE C VAL HOS MES QVINTVS AVG - Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Hostilian right</p><p>SECVRITAS AVGG S C - Securitas standing facing, looking right, her legs crossed, placing right hand on head and resting left arm on column.</p><p>14,69 gr / 28,37 mm</p><p>Sestertius, Rome June-August 251</p><p>RIC (Decius) 225; Hunter p. 254, 3 and plate 81; Cohen 60; Sear 9593</p><p><br /></p><p>The prayers did not succeed. The plague continued to kill until the 260s and it´s most prominent victim was Hostilian, who contracted it and died after 15. July 251. Alternatively, he fell victim to his co-Augustus, who in August instead raised his son Volusian to the now-vacant post of co-Augustus and imposed the damnatio memoriae upon Decius, Herennius Etruscus, and also Hostilian (despite other claims, neither the famous Ludovisi battle sarcophagus nor the recently discovered mausoleum in Viminacium were created for him). Herennia Etruscilla too disappeared from history at this point.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]891289[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>HERENNIA ETRVSCILLA AVG - Diademed, draped bust right, hair ridged in waves, seen three quarters from the front, wearing stephane</p><p>FECVNDITAS AVG S C – Fecunditas, wearing long dress and cloak, standing left, holding cornucopia in left hand and placing right hand over child standing in front of her and raising both it´s hands.</p><p>Sestertius, Rome (6th officina) early 251 a.D. (fifth emission of Trajan Decius)</p><p>31 mm / 17,55 gr</p><p>RIC 134a (R), Cohen 9, Banti 3, Sear 9504</p><p><br /></p><p>This left all six officinae of the Rome mint striking for Trebonianus and Volusian alone, who now received the SALVS reverse during the second emission which lasted until the end of 251 aD.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please post anything you have from the fateful year 251 a.D.![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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