Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXI 24-25 Mar 2021
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Tacitus AV Aureus. Siscia, November AD 275 - June 276. IMP C M CLA TACITVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust to right / ROMAE AETERNAE, Roma seated to left, holding globe and long sceptre, shield leaning against throne. MER-RIC 3592 (temporary); RIC VI 176 corr. (cuirassed); C. 121; Jameson 290 (same dies); Biaggi 1604 (this coin) = Calicó 4110 (this coin). 5.32g, 22mm, 11h.
Near Mint State.
This coin published in X. Calicó, Los Aureos Romanos (2002);
From the Collection of GK, Ukrainian Emigrant;
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 97, 12 December 2016, lot 226 (hammer: CHF 28,000);
Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 90, 4 June 2012, lot 818 (hammer: EUR 18,000);
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 27, 12 May 2004, lot 482;
Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 22, 8 May 1979, lot 35;
Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection, acquired privately in 1978 by Bank Leu (Zürich) and a partner.
After the ill-thought-out assassination of Aurelian in September 275, a man who had so successfully reunited the Empire, earning the title Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World) in the process, the remorseful and quarrelsome legions effectively relinquished their right to name a successor. Consequently, the Senate, for what was to be the very last time, were tasked with identifying an appropriate candidate. The most dependable historical accounts, including those of the historian Zosimus, assert that it took the Senate a significant amount of time, somewhere between 6-8 months, to settle on Marcus Claudius Tacitus (c. 200-276), a much-admired yet ageing statesman, who had served his consulship as recently as 273.
Upon the army's subsequent ratification of this selection, Tacitus immediately ordered the execution of those involved in the plot to kill Aurelian, an act which endeared him to the legions, before insisting on his deification. He then appointed his trusted half-brother and eventual successor, Florianus, to the role of Praetorian Prefect, before setting about recompensing the Senate for their show of faith by restoring to them, among other things, the right to appoint consuls, magistrates and provincial governors. This re-establishment of the Senate's traditional powers was to be fleeting, however, as Diocletian's constitutional reforms (c. 300) were soon to put an end to senatorial collaboration in the making of laws for good.
During his brief reign, (which endured for either nine months or one year depending on the source), Tacitus, with the aid of the capable Florianus, enjoyed moderate military success. Of particular note are his short campaigns in the East, where he was able to vanquish the insubordinate Gothic mercenaries stationed in Asia Minor, who had been relentlessly ransacking the provinces of Pontus, Galatia and Cappadocia ever since hearing of Aurelian's death. This feat won Tacitus the title Gothicus Maximus, which had also been bestowed upon Claudius II and Aurelian before him.
It was on his way back West through Cappadocia, we are told, that Tacitus either fell ill with a severe fever or was murdered. Given his relative popularity and very fresh successes, the former seems slightly more plausible, and the Historia Augusta states that the fever was such that it induced signs of megalomania in the previously unassuming emperor (Vita Taciti XIII.6). Whatever the reality of his demise, Tacitus died in June of 276, and his memory was neither condemned nor deified. In truth, little is really known about Tacitus or his rule, with conflicting accounts serving to further shroud our understanding of his time as Augustus. His coinage, however, does help to shine a light on his mentality as Emperor and, more crucially, the way in which he wished to be perceived by his subjects.
The most prominent feature of his coinage is the similarities between his portraits and those of Aurelian. One may first note, when examining this exceptionally attractive Aureus, the strikingly stern and determined expression, a type frequently seen on the coinage of Aurelian. Tacitus, it can be maintained, is here attempting to draw parallels between himself and his illustrious predecessor, in terms of both appearance and attitude. Upon becoming Augustus, he would certainly have had plenty of motivation to emulate Aurelian, who was, after all, one of the most effective leaders in recent memory, and one who had brought relative security to the Empire after decades of utter anarchy. Likewise, the reverse on this specimen might also be deemed revealing, as ROMAE AETERNAE was a legend that was often utilised by various emperors (Septimius Severus foremost among them) who wished to emphasise the everlasting nature of their city and Empire during times of particular political and constitutional strife.
Near Mint State.
This coin published in X. Calicó, Los Aureos Romanos (2002);
From the Collection of GK, Ukrainian Emigrant;
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 97, 12 December 2016, lot 226 (hammer: CHF 28,000);
Ex Auktionshaus H. D. Rauch GmbH, Auction 90, 4 June 2012, lot 818 (hammer: EUR 18,000);
Ex Numismatica Ars Classica AG, Auction 27, 12 May 2004, lot 482;
Ex Bank Leu AG, Auction 22, 8 May 1979, lot 35;
Ex Leo Biaggi de Blasys Collection, acquired privately in 1978 by Bank Leu (Zürich) and a partner.
After the ill-thought-out assassination of Aurelian in September 275, a man who had so successfully reunited the Empire, earning the title Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World) in the process, the remorseful and quarrelsome legions effectively relinquished their right to name a successor. Consequently, the Senate, for what was to be the very last time, were tasked with identifying an appropriate candidate. The most dependable historical accounts, including those of the historian Zosimus, assert that it took the Senate a significant amount of time, somewhere between 6-8 months, to settle on Marcus Claudius Tacitus (c. 200-276), a much-admired yet ageing statesman, who had served his consulship as recently as 273.
Upon the army's subsequent ratification of this selection, Tacitus immediately ordered the execution of those involved in the plot to kill Aurelian, an act which endeared him to the legions, before insisting on his deification. He then appointed his trusted half-brother and eventual successor, Florianus, to the role of Praetorian Prefect, before setting about recompensing the Senate for their show of faith by restoring to them, among other things, the right to appoint consuls, magistrates and provincial governors. This re-establishment of the Senate's traditional powers was to be fleeting, however, as Diocletian's constitutional reforms (c. 300) were soon to put an end to senatorial collaboration in the making of laws for good.
During his brief reign, (which endured for either nine months or one year depending on the source), Tacitus, with the aid of the capable Florianus, enjoyed moderate military success. Of particular note are his short campaigns in the East, where he was able to vanquish the insubordinate Gothic mercenaries stationed in Asia Minor, who had been relentlessly ransacking the provinces of Pontus, Galatia and Cappadocia ever since hearing of Aurelian's death. This feat won Tacitus the title Gothicus Maximus, which had also been bestowed upon Claudius II and Aurelian before him.
It was on his way back West through Cappadocia, we are told, that Tacitus either fell ill with a severe fever or was murdered. Given his relative popularity and very fresh successes, the former seems slightly more plausible, and the Historia Augusta states that the fever was such that it induced signs of megalomania in the previously unassuming emperor (Vita Taciti XIII.6). Whatever the reality of his demise, Tacitus died in June of 276, and his memory was neither condemned nor deified. In truth, little is really known about Tacitus or his rule, with conflicting accounts serving to further shroud our understanding of his time as Augustus. His coinage, however, does help to shine a light on his mentality as Emperor and, more crucially, the way in which he wished to be perceived by his subjects.
The most prominent feature of his coinage is the similarities between his portraits and those of Aurelian. One may first note, when examining this exceptionally attractive Aureus, the strikingly stern and determined expression, a type frequently seen on the coinage of Aurelian. Tacitus, it can be maintained, is here attempting to draw parallels between himself and his illustrious predecessor, in terms of both appearance and attitude. Upon becoming Augustus, he would certainly have had plenty of motivation to emulate Aurelian, who was, after all, one of the most effective leaders in recent memory, and one who had brought relative security to the Empire after decades of utter anarchy. Likewise, the reverse on this specimen might also be deemed revealing, as ROMAE AETERNAE was a legend that was often utilised by various emperors (Septimius Severus foremost among them) who wished to emphasise the everlasting nature of their city and Empire during times of particular political and constitutional strife.