The New York Sale
Auction 40 11 January 2017
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ANCIENT COINS, ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximianus. Gold Aureus (5.57 g), first reign, AD 286-305. Treveri, AD 293/4. MAXIMIA-NVS P F AVG, laureate and cuirassed bust of Maximianus right. Rev. HERCVLI VICTORI, Hercules seated facing, head right, lion's skin draped over legs; at sides, club, quiver and bow; PR. RIC - (but cf. 13 for rev. type) (Calicó 4681.). Rare. Extremely fine.
Maximianus has been described as the "military brawn" paired with the "political brain" of Diocletian as the two worked together to refashion the Roman Empire into something manageable as endless crises of external invasion, civil war, and economic disaster threatened to overwhelm it. The co-emperors themselves perhaps would have agreed with this description of their relationship since Diocletian associated himself with Jupiter, the wise father of men and gods, while Maximianus was linked to Hercules, son of Jupiter and the image par excellence of heroism. They even went as far as to assume additional names related to these deities, and Maximianus took the title of Herculius. Thus it is no surprise that his coins, such as this beautiful aureus, frequently feature types related to Hercules. Here the victorious hero takes a well-deserved rest after his many tasks, perhaps reflecting Maximianus' own desires. Shortly before this coin was struck in AD 293/4, Diocletian and Maximianus expanded their form of government from a diarchy to a tetrachy, naming Constantius I Chlorus and Galerius as subordinate Caesars.
Estimate: $ 15,000
Maximianus has been described as the "military brawn" paired with the "political brain" of Diocletian as the two worked together to refashion the Roman Empire into something manageable as endless crises of external invasion, civil war, and economic disaster threatened to overwhelm it. The co-emperors themselves perhaps would have agreed with this description of their relationship since Diocletian associated himself with Jupiter, the wise father of men and gods, while Maximianus was linked to Hercules, son of Jupiter and the image par excellence of heroism. They even went as far as to assume additional names related to these deities, and Maximianus took the title of Herculius. Thus it is no surprise that his coins, such as this beautiful aureus, frequently feature types related to Hercules. Here the victorious hero takes a well-deserved rest after his many tasks, perhaps reflecting Maximianus' own desires. Shortly before this coin was struck in AD 293/4, Diocletian and Maximianus expanded their form of government from a diarchy to a tetrachy, naming Constantius I Chlorus and Galerius as subordinate Caesars.
Estimate: $ 15,000