Watch List notes:

The Roman Empire
Trajan Decius, 249 – 251

Aureus 249–251, AV 4.04 g. IMP C M Q TRAIANVS DECIVS AVG Laureate and cuirassed bust r. Rev. GENIVS EXERC ILLVRICIANI Genius standing l., holding patera in r. hand and cornucopia in l.; in r. field, standard. C 48. RIC 16a. Calicó 3290.
Extremely fine


Ex Tkalec sale 7 May 2006, 219.

If we consider the reign of Philip I to have been an exercise in futility, that of his successor, Trajan Decius, represents something even worse, for he was the first Roman emperor to be killed by the enemy in battle. (This is true, assuming, as we probably should, that Gordian III was murdered, and not killed by soldiers of Shapur.) Decius was the first in a long line of 'military emperors', usually of humble origins, to hail from the Balkans. Despite his energy and commitment, Decius ruled less than two years and spent the lion's share of that time defending Rome's borders. The character of his regime was made clear from the outset, when his friends in the senate bestowed upon him the surname Trajan in memory of the famous 2nd-century emperor, who also was a proactive militarist. But the Trajan of the previous century reigned in a time of Roman military supremacy, and was mainly concerned with enlarging his empire rather than defending it. Early in 250 Decius was defending the Danube from multiple attacks by the Carpi and the Goths, and he soon hailed his eldest son Herennius Etruscus Caesar. Initially the two successfully fought side by side, but over the succeeding months a revolt within the besieged city of Beroe allowed the Goths, under their chief Kniva, to pillage Thrace. Helpless to stop the feeding frenzy, Decius determined he would ambush the Goths as they returned home with their booty. His first engagement in the spring of 251 was a great success (causing Decius to raise his eldest son from Caesar to Augustus), but his army was later ambushed at Abrittus, about 75 miles from the Black Sea coast in modern Bulgaria. It was a devastating blow to the Roman armies, and to the people, for not only did many soldiers die, but Decius and his teenage son also perished. For an emperor who was fully occupied with military affairs, Decius did find time to attend to coinage. Not only did he eliminate the officina markings used by his predecessor Philip I, but he introduced two new base metal coins, the innovative double-sestertius, and an 'as' of reduced size, which traditionally is called a semis. In addition to these he struck a series of double-denarii commemorating eleven deified emperors, beginning with Augustus and ending with Severus Alexander. In the series there are notable exceptions (such as Claudius) and inclusions (such as Commodus) which have long puzzled numismatists and historians.