Magnus Maximus

Amen. One of my favorite stories in the 4th century is the interaction between St. Martin of Tours and Magnus Maximus in 383/4. From Sulpicius Severus's Life of Saint Martin: "When a number of bishops from various parts had assembled to the Emperor Maximus, a man of fierce character, and at that time elated with the victory he had won in the civil wars, and when the disgraceful flattery of all around the emperor was generally remarked, while the priestly dignity had, with degenerate submissiveness, taken a second place to the royal retinue, in Martin alone, apostolic authority continued to assert itself. For even if he had to make suit to the sovereign for some things, he commanded rather than entreated him; and although often invited, he kept away from his entertainments, saying that he could not take a place at the table of one who, out of two emperors, had deprived one of his kingdom, and the other of his life. At last, when Maximus maintained that he had not of his own accord assumed the sovereignty, but that he had simply defended by arms the necessary requirements of the empire, regard to which had been imposed upon him by the soldiers, according to the Divine appointment, and that the favor of God did not seem wanting to him who, by an event seemingly so incredible, had secured the victory, adding to that the statement that none of his adversaries had been slain except in the open field of battle, at length, Martin, overcome either by his reasoning or his entreaties, came to the royal banquet. The king was wonderfully pleased because he had gained this point. Moreover, there were guests present who had been invited as if to a festival; men of the highest and most illustrious rank, - the prefect, who was also consul, named Evodius, one of the most righteous men that ever lived; two courtiers possessed of the greatest power, the brother and uncle of the king, while between these two, the presbyter of Martin had taken his place; but he himself occupied a seat which was set quite close to the king. About the middle of the banquet, according to custom, one of the servants presented a goblet to the king. He orders it rather to be given to the very holy bishop, expecting and hoping that he should then receive the cup from his right hand. But Martin, when he had drunk, handed the goblet to his own presbyter, as thinking no one worthier to drink next to himself, and holding that it would not be right for him to prefer either the king himself, or those who were next the king, to the presbyter. And the emperor, as well as all those who were then present, admired this conduct so much, that this very thing, by which they had been undervalued, gave them pleasure. The report then ran through the whole palace that Martin had done, at the king’s dinner, what no bishop had dared to do at the banquets of the lowest judges." A fistful of siliquae of Emperor Magnus Maximus.

A nummus of the most based and blessed Emperor. Constantine I

Based

One of my favorite purchases from this summer.

Very nice indeed! I don’t have any coins with Mary on them to my knowledge, however I do have a picture of her on a Byzantine style mosaic that I saw recently.

I’m not sure what the official name for the large AE-1 that Julian II began is during was called. Kenneth W Harl, in his book “Coinage and the Roman Economy, states that the AE-1 was a billon coin and it’s demonetization in 367/8 allowed the Emperors Valentinian I and Valens to increase the silver purity of the siliqua.

Very nice coins posted so far. Here are more coins of the denomination, that I own. Arcadius. A.D. 383-395 Condition: Very Fine Weight: 4.72g Diameter: 22mm Honorius. A.D. 393-395 Condition: Very Fine Weight: 3.94g Diameter: 20mm

Hello all, I recently purchased this piece at a budget auction house. This coin is a common one and was minted from 383-388 at Nicomedia, Anatolia. What makes this coin interesting to me is that most AE-2's(decargryii) weigh between 4 and 5.5 grams, however this piece is a heafty 6.48 grams! Another point of intrest is that most of us collectors tend to refer to the large size bronze coins from 378-395 as AE-2's, however the Theodosian Code likley gives us the name of the denomination. Theodosian Code 9.23.2: “We command that only the centenionalis nummus shall be handled in public use and that the larger money shall be abolished. No person, therefore, shall dare to exchange the decargyrus nummus for another, and he shall know that the aforesaid money, which can be seized if found in public use, will be vindicated to the fisc.” Please post your Decargyrii coins!

The Lord's Prayer in Latin always hits difffrent than it does in english. I quite like the Ecclesiastical Latin version presented here. From Sulpicius Severus's Life of Saint Martin: "When a number of bishops from various parts had assembled to the Emperor Maximus, a man of fierce character, and at that time elated with the victory he had won in the civil wars, and when the disgraceful flattery of all around the emperor was generally remarked, while the priestly dignity had, with degenerate submissiveness, taken a second place to the royal retinue, in Martin alone, apostolic authority continued to assert itself. For even if he had to make suit to the sovereign for some things, he commanded rather than entreated him; and although often invited, he kept away from his entertainments, saying that he could not take a place at the table of one who, out of two emperors, had deprived one of his kingdom, and the other of his life. At last, when Maximus maintained that he had not of his own accord assumed the sovereignty, but that he had simply defended by arms the necessary requirements of the empire, regard to which had been imposed upon him by the soldiers, according to the Divine appointment, and that the favor of God did not seem wanting to him who, by an event seemingly so incredible, had secured the victory, adding to that the statement that none of his adversaries had been slain except in the open field of battle, at length, Martin, overcome either by his reasoning or his entreaties, came to the royal banquet. The king was wonderfully pleased because he had gained this point. Moreover, there were guests present who had been invited as if to a festival; men of the highest and most illustrious rank, - the prefect, who was also consul, named Evodius, one of the most righteous men that ever lived; two courtiers possessed of the greatest power, the brother and uncle of the king, while between these two, the presbyter of Martin had taken his place; but he himself occupied a seat which was set quite close to the king. About the middle of the banquet, according to custom, one of the servants presented a goblet to the king. He orders it rather to be given to the very holy bishop, expecting and hoping that he should then receive the cup from his right hand. But Martin, when he had drunk, handed the goblet to his own presbyter, as thinking no one worthier to drink next to himself, and holding that it would not be right for him to prefer either the king himself, or those who were next the king, to the presbyter. And the emperor, as well as all those who were then present, admired this conduct so much, that this very thing, by which they had been undervalued, gave them pleasure. The report then ran through the whole palace that Martin had done, at the king’s dinner, what no bishop had dared to do at the banquets of the lowest judges." Magnus Maximus AR Siliqua A.D. 383-388 Trier Mint

I agree that the first and second centuries had very detailed portraits and were the pinnicle. I would also argue that the last decent portraits western europe would see on it's coins until the 1200's were the ones from the 380's to early 400's AD. A siliqua of Magnus Maximus, I own. A solidus of Theodosius I, I regretably do not own.

Y’all need some siliquae 😁

I paid via paypal and received my coin last week. It's a rather rare piece so I chose the FedX shipping option.

Nice coin, @ValiantKnight. I quite like the style on that one! Fun fact, we actually have some direct quotes from Magnus Maximus via his conversations with St. Ambrose of Milan: At length he broke out, “It is you who have cajoled me, you and the wretch Bauto, who wished by setting up a boy to acquire sovereignty for himself, who also brought barbarians upon me; as if I also had not those whom I could bring, seeing I have so many barbarians in my service and pay. But had I not been withheld at the time of your arrival, who could have resisted me and my power?” From Ambrose, LETTER XXIV. [A.D.387.]

Constantius II, 337-361. Siliqua (Silver, 20 mm, 3.10 g, 11 h), Rome, 352-355. D N CONSTANTIVS P F AVG Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius II to right. Rev. VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX in four lines within laurel wreath; in exergue, R. RIC 234. Some marks, otherwise, good very fine. Very Rare.

Very nice!

While Focas was given a bad situation, he never made any attempt to rectify it. In addition, he was wholly unsuited to be Emperor. The fact that he lasted as long as he did, is probably the most admirable thing of his reign.

Good write up! I tend to view the reign of Maurice as the last gasp of late Antiquity, as after him the ERE never really recovered fully both territorially and economically.

Good discussion between some members on the AE-2, @Nerosmyfavorite68 https://www.numisforums.com/topic/573-a-siliqua-from-victor-magnus-maximus-perpetuus-triumphator-semper-augustus/#comment-10440

All of the die matches I have of the type. I quite like how they depict Magnus on this issue, as he looks rather young and fit. It’s likely the real Magnus Maximus looked nothing like his portrait however, as he would have been in his 50’s when these coins were minted.

Interesting, I'll definitely look into it. Yes, I believe you are correct regarding the AE-2 name being called "decargyrus nummus".

Nice Valens! I believe you are thinking of the Battle of the Frigidus River in 394, where on the first day of battle Eugenius and Arbogast were winning, until a unit defected and a wind anomaly turned the tide the next day.

Background: In 387, Magnus Maximus used a barbarian invasion of Raetia to move troops past the armies of Valentinian II into northern Italy. Maximus's forces quickly turned on Valentinian's troops and seized the mountainous passes into the Italian peninsula, thus securing them for the main body of Maximus's army. The move was relatively bloodless and had accomplished in a month what Theodosius I and St. Ambrose had worked for four years to prevent; the complete domination of the Western Roman Empire by Magnus Maximus. Valentinian II and his court managed to escape the clutches of Magnus Maximus narrowly and fled to Thessalonika under the protection of the Eastern Emperor Theodosius I. Theodosius I, for his part, was probably as surprised by Maximus's quick advance as Valentinian II was. After taking the Western Roman Empire, Maximus sent envoys to Theodosius I arguing that he was the legitimate Orthodox Emperor of the West. Theodosius seems to have vacillated between inaction and mobilizing for war but was finally wooed into action by a marriage alliance to Valentinian II's sister, Galla. Magnus Maximus, for the most part, seemed to have wanted to avoid a major confrontation with Theodosius I, perhaps out of the memory of the disastrous civil war between Magnentius and Constantius II a few decades before. However, he nonetheless made ready to march east. After securing Italy and North Africa, Maximus finally moved east after 18 months of complete control of the Western Roman Empire. Gameplans: Maximus's plan for victory seemed rather conservative compared to his adversary: he would march into Illyria and besiege the local settlements until Theodosius's army arrived; then, he would defeat the latter in a pitched battle and move on from there. Theodosius I, however, was the more creative of the two Emperors and sent false signals that he was planning an invasion of Italy via the sea to distract Maximus. In addition, while the main body of the Eastern Roman army and allies would be under Theodosius's command, a smaller but still significant army would be led by the Romanized Frank, Arbogast, with the intention to flank Maximus's army and head to Trier(Maximus's capital). So Begins the Bloody Business of the Day: Both armies had the same approximate strength, and a large contingent of German foederati and vassal troops was also brought. Some estimates put the total troop numbers at around 80,000-90,000 soldiers. Magnus Maximus had with him large contingents of the field armies from Britannia, Gaul, and Hispania, along with large amounts of Alemanni allies. On the other hand, Theodosius I had the field armies of the Balkans and Orient at his disposal, along with many Hunnic and Alani mercenaries and a large contingent of Gothic foederati. Maximus marched his forces into Illyria and captured Siscia, while Theodosius marched west to meet him. Maximus's and Theodosius's armies met for battle on the Sava river. The action started when Theodosius's mounted mercenary units began crossing the river; Maximus's troops were taken by surprise by the crossing and were severely mauled in the initial skirmish. However, his forces managed to extract themselves from the river in one piece and set up camp away from the crossing. The next day both forces met for a pitched battle that lasted all day long. Eventually, Theodosius's horse archers made the difference, and Maximus's troops were beaten back. To prevent an all-out rout, Maximus ordered his brother, Marcellinus, to conduct a counterattack to allow the army's remnants to escape back to Italy. It is unknown how many Romans and their allies died during the battle. Still, the casualties suffered by the gothic contingents were enough for a revolt to break out against Theodosius I in 390, led by a certain Goth named Alaric. Maximus eventually made his way back to the city of Aquileia, where he received news that the Franks had taken advantage of his redeployment of the field armies on the Rhine and had conducted a series of raids near Cologne. From Bad to Worse: While Maximus was being pursued to Aquileia, the Franks, under a warlord named Marcomer, began a series of raids on the Rhine frontier. The raids were severe enough that there was a genuine fear that the Franks would sack the city of Colonia Agrippina(Cologne). To Maximus's credit, he didn't remove all military formations from the Rhine, as he had left the generals Nanninus and Quintinus with a small contingent of crack troops from the Ioviani legion. The generals caught a large contingent of the raiders on their way back across the Rhine river and massacred them. However, Quintinus, going against the advice of Nanninus, launched a punitive expedition against the Franks that ended in disaster and resulted in the deaths of many elite Roman soldiers. From Death to Founding a Nation: Theodosius I eventually tracked Maximus to the Italian city of Aquileia and began a siege of the city. Demoralized by the defeat on the Sava river and with news of the Frankish raids reaching the city, Maximus's soldiers gave him up to Theodosius I in chains. Maximus is said to have begged for mercy but received none. However, his death by beheading was relatively quick and painless, which counts for something. Shortly after the death of Magnus Maximus, Arbogast arrived at Trier to tie up the last loose end; he had Flavius Victor strangled and replaced Nanninus and Quintinus with the generals Charietto and Syrus. With the death of Magnus Maximus in 388, direct Imperial involvement in northern Europe came to an end. While the areas would be under nominal Roman authority until the Germanic crossing of the Rhine in 406/7, many areas north of Lugdunum began to devolve into local administration. Maximus, for his part, would later be considered something of a founding father to the Welsh people and would live on through their national mythos to the present day. No Winners: If it isn't apparent enough, there were no winners from the Roman civil war of 388. While Valentinian II ended up getting the Western Roman Empire back, he was confined to only a ceremonial role and murdered by Arborgast or committed suicide. Theodosius I, for his part, indirectly set himself up for another bloody civil war by not responding to Arborgast's requests for a new Emperor in the summer of A.D 392. In the end, the two Roman civil wars of 388 and 394 would have disastrous effects on the Western Roman army, with some estimates putting the total casualties at around 2/3rd of the professional army. Indeed, we see Flavius Stilicho having to impress slaves and strip the Rhine frontier of all troops, to scrape together a measly 20,000 soldiers to face the Vandal invasion of Italy in A.D 405. While it is hyperbole to suggest that the Western Roman Empire began its decline in A.D. 388, that year's disastrous civil war certainly sped up its demise. Below is a list of the significant persons listed from this period and what fate befell them: Magnus Maximus: Died via beheading in the autumn of 388. Flavius Victor: Died via strangulation in the autumn/winter of 388. Marcellinus: Unknown, likely killed in the counterattack, or executed by Theodosius I. Nanninus and Quintinus: Unknown, replaced by two of Arborgast's generals in late 388. Valentinian II: Died via suicide or murder in 392. Justina (Mother of Valentinian II): Died before Theodosius's victory over Magnus Maximus. Galla (Sister of Valentinian II): Died in childbirth in 394. Theodosius I: Died of edema shortly after defeating Eugenius and Arbogast, in 395. Arbogast: Died by falling on his sword after the defeat at the battle of the Frigidus river in 394. Marcomer: Captured by the Romans and sent into exile in Italy. The Coin: I recently picked up this lovely siliqua of Magnus Maximus, which inspired this post. If you think you have seen this coin before, you are right(to an extent), as it is the fourth obverse die match I have of the type. Magnus Maximus. AD 383-388. AR Siliqua (18mm, 2.22 g, 6h). Treveri (Trier) mint. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Roma enthroned facing, head left, holding globe and scepter; TRPS. RIC IX 84b.1 corr. (listed as spear); RSC 20†a corr. (same). Lightly toned. EF. And the coin in hand. Please post your coins of this period down below!

That’s pretty bad behavior on the auction house’s part. Would the dealer in question happen to have connections to Turkey?

Very nice aqueducts. When I read the title of this thread I immediately thought of the Latin influence on Spanish rather than the architecture! Spanish is essentially Vulgar Latin that has evolved for a few centuries. In addition, later on the Kings of Spain would style themselves on their coins as Roman Emperors.

Excellent write up VK. I regrettably don’t have any coins from this era, however you have roused my interest.