Valerian I packs his bags for a tour of the Sassanian Empire and gets captured

Brilliant! Readable, grammatically correct, timely. Must be a Peter Heather fan.

 

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Nobody mentioned that poor old Valerian eventually was stuffed and kept in the palace as a memento (at least according to Gibbon). But modern scholars think that may not have been his fate, since the evidence now points to the captured roman army being used to construct public works for the Sassanians.

 

Since everyone is doing the Silver thing, I will offer some BRONZE:

His August VALERIAN, The Royal Footstool:


RI Valerian I 253-260 CE AE 20mm Alexandria Troas mint Horse Grazing


The Amazing Shapur I, STEPPING UP in the World:

Sassanian Shapur I 240-272 CE AE Tetradrachm 10.78g 27mm Ctesiphon mint phase 1a mural crown korymbos - fire altar type 2 SNS IIa1-1a

 

I'll catch up with this thread. The first following coin is a billon.. RIC 292. The second one was also struck under Valerian in Antioch RIC 227.

 

One of the better things poor Valerian did was mint a coin with a bridge on it (Mopsus) putting a bit more interest in the coinage of the era. 255/6 AD.

 

I'm Shapurless but can provide an antoninian, a sestertius and an as of his


Valerian, Antoninianus Rome mint, AD 253-255
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
FIDES MILITVM, Fides Militum standing left, holding two standards
3.66 gr
Ref : RCV # 9938(45), Cohen # 65



Valerian, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 253-255
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
VIRTVS AVGG, Virtus or Mars standing left resting on shield and holding spear. S - C in field
18.7 gr
Ref : RCV # 10025v, Cohen # 269



Valerian, As Rome mint, AD 255-258
IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS P F AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IOVI CONSERVATORI, Jupiter standing left, holding thunderbolt and scepter. S - C in field
10.0 gr
Ref : RCV # 10032, Cohen # 96

Q

 

Lovely examples 'Q'!!!

 

Great sestertius Q!!

 

Awesome reporting Salent! You made my morning great again.


Valerian Antoninianus, 254-255 AD. Diana Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS AVG, Radiate, draped bust right.
Rev: FELICITAS SAECVLI. Diana advancing right, holding torch with two hands.

 

I've got the same reverse of Diana but with Gallienus on obverse. RIC 291.

 

Some great examples there. Mine are not as exquisite, but here goes . . .


VALERIAN I, 257 A.D. AR22.2mm., 3.49gm,.
Obv: IMP VALERIANVS P AVG< radiate draped bust right,
Rev: SPES PUBLICA, Spes walking left with flower, raising robe,
RIC V-I Milan 257, RSC 208, Goebl0827c Viminacium, Sear 9978
Prov. From the J Eric Engstrom collection, ex CNG


VALERIAN I AR 255-256 A.D. Antoninianus.
Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS PF AVG, radiate and draped
bust right.
Rev: FELICITAS AVGG, Felicitas standing left holding
caduceus and cornucopiae.
RIC V-I Rome 87; Sear 9936.


VALERIAN I, 255-256 A.D., Billon Antoninianus AR21mm., 3.05gm.,
Obv: IMP C P LIC VALERIANVS PF AVG, radiate and draped
bust right.
Rev: FELICITAS AVGG, Felicitas standing left holding
caduceus and cornucopiae.
RIC V-I, Rome 87; Sear 9936.

 

One can almost chart the chaos/decline of the empire through the coinage of Valerian and Gallienus. At first, not too different from the coinage of T. Gallus in terms of style and quality of the silver and bronze, but then an amazing drop off as the coins became billon and eventually AE antoniniani. What happened to the standards at the mint?

 

ACH, do you have the reference source for the captured Romans doing the public works project Shapur? I am trying source such info for my study intros era