OTD: 351 CE One of the bloodiest battles in Roman history- Battle at Mursa: emperor Constantine II beats emperor Magnentius

[Ryro]

 

On this day in history 1,673 years ago the bloodbath that was Mursa major took place. 

Romans killing romans, brother killing brother, 

And all this bloodshed giving me the chance to show off my latest Magnentius. The reverse really jumped out at me and I like the horse looks more like a lion

Magnentius. AD 350-353. Æ Centenionalis (22mm, 4.77g, 7h). Treveri (Trier) mint, 1st officina. 3rd phase, May-August AD 350. Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right; A to left / Magnentius on horseback, galloping right, holding shield and thrusting spear at Barbarian to right, kneeling left, with outstretched arms in front of horse; below horse, shield and broken spear; TRP(crescent). RIC VIII 271; Bastien 32. Brown patina. Recently unearthed in the Burgundy region of France. 

A fun Barbarian coin of him that I purchased from the same seller:

His brother/ buddy (we don't really know their relationship)

Decentius

Caesar, AD 350/1-353. Æ Lugdunum (Lyon) mint, 2nd officina. Struck AD 351. Bareheaded and cuirassed bust right / Two Victories standing facing one another, holding wreath inscribed VOT/V/MVLT/X in four lines; SV//RSLG•. RIC VIII 129;

And a coin of the Victor, a very manly title for a guy who's friends likely called him Connie:

Constantius II

As Caesar, AD 324-337. Æ Follis, Treveri (Trier) mint. Struck AD 326. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left / Camp-gate with two turrets and no door; star above; PTR(pellet-within-crescent). RIC VII 480; LRBC 29. Gift from @Severus Alexander

Constantius II

AD 337-361. AR Siliqua (20mm, 1.77 g, 5h). Constantinople mint, 11th officina. Struck AD 351-355. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / VOTIS/XXX/MVLTIS/XXXX in four lines; all within wreath; C·IA. RIC VIII 102; RSC 342-3j. holed

 

If you have coins of Magnentius, Decentius, Constantius II, thoughts on this horrific battle, or anything related please share!

[Orange Julius]

That captive on your new coin cracks me up… it looks like he’s saying “SSSTTTTOOOOOOPPPPP!” Just before taking a spear to the groin. 😀 A great coin. I like that barbarous coin too lots of charm there! 

Here are a couple of my Mag/Decie bro coins:

Magnentius, Lyons,
D N MAGNENTIVS P F AVG, bare-headed, draped & cuirassed bust right, A behind bust
VICTORIAE D D N N AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing, facing each other, holding wreath inscribed VOT-V-MVLT-X. SP in lower centre. Mintmark RPLG.
RIC VIII Lyons 136; Sear 18820.


Decentius. Caesar, AD 350-353. AE Lyons mint.
DN DECENTIVS NOB CAES, bare-headed, cuirassed bust right
VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing vis-à-vis, holding between them wreath inscribed VOT V MVLT X in four lines; SP in lower centre.
Mintmark RSLG. RIC VIII Lyons 137; Sear 18882; Bastien 177; LRBC 228.

Edited September 28 by Orange Julius

[Ryro]

1 hour ago, Orange Julius said:

That captive on your new coin cracks me up… it looks like he’s saying “SSSTTTTOOOOOOPPPPP!” Just before taking a spear to the groin. 😀 A great coin. I like that barbarous coin too lots of charm there! 

Here are a couple of my Mag/Decie bro coins:

Magnentius, Lyons,
D N MAGNENTIVS P F AVG, bare-headed, draped & cuirassed bust right, A behind bust
VICTORIAE D D N N AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing, facing each other, holding wreath inscribed VOT-V-MVLT-X. SP in lower centre. Mintmark RPLG.
RIC VIII Lyons 136; Sear 18820.


Decentius. Caesar, AD 350-353. AE Lyons mint.
DN DECENTIVS NOB CAES, bare-headed, cuirassed bust right
VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE, two Victories standing vis-à-vis, holding between them wreath inscribed VOT V MVLT X in four lines; SP in lower centre.
Mintmark RSLG. RIC VIII Lyons 137; Sear 18882; Bastien 177; LRBC 228.

WoWiE! Some beautiful examples! The patina on that Decentius is rad!

And great observation. I didn't even notice that spear is headed straight for that poor captives little spear!

Here's an other charming old barbarous coin of Magnentius that was one of my first barbarian coins:

[CPK]

Great coins! Here is my FH type of Constantius II:
 

CONSTANTIUS II, AD 337-361
BI Centenionalis (23.98mm, 4.79g, 11h)
Struck AD 351-2. Syria, Antioch mint
Obverse: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Constantius II right
Reverse: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, soldier rushing left, holding shield on left arm and spearing fallen horseman whose mount has stumbled beneath him, shield on ground to right; ANZ in exergue
References: RIC VIII 135, RCV 18171
A fine portrait, coupled with a wonderfully artistic reverse scene engraved in great detail. Sear notes that the bearded and diademed horseman on these types from Antioch "almost certainly represents the Sasanid king." (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. V, p. 177)

 

And an imitation of Decentius, purchased mainly for the cool provenance:

MAGNUS DECENTIUS as Caesar, AD 350-3
AE Barbarous Imitation (22.14mm, 5.06g, 6h)
Likely struck AD 350-3
Imitation of the Lugdunum mint
Obverse: [D N D]ECENTI-VS CAESAR, bare-headed, draped and/or cuirassed bust of Decentius right
Reverse: VICT[? ? ? ? ?] VG ET CES, two Victories standing facing each other, holding between them wreath encircling VOT [? ?] [MVLT] X which is resting on short column; [?]PLG in exergue
These 'unofficial' issues were struck to help alleviate severe local shortages of coinage.
From the collection of Commodore Daniel Turner (1794-1850), naval veteran of the War of 1812 and later captain of the USS Constitution.

 

And the former owner:

[Ryro]

5 hours ago, CPK said:

Great coins! Here is my FH type of Constantius II:
 

CONSTANTIUS II, AD 337-361
BI Centenionalis (23.98mm, 4.79g, 11h)
Struck AD 351-2. Syria, Antioch mint
Obverse: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Constantius II right
Reverse: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, soldier rushing left, holding shield on left arm and spearing fallen horseman whose mount has stumbled beneath him, shield on ground to right; ANZ in exergue
References: RIC VIII 135, RCV 18171
A fine portrait, coupled with a wonderfully artistic reverse scene engraved in great detail. Sear notes that the bearded and diademed horseman on these types from Antioch "almost certainly represents the Sasanid king." (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. V, p. 177)

 

And an imitation of Decentius, purchased mainly for the cool provenance:

MAGNUS DECENTIUS as Caesar, AD 350-3
AE Barbarous Imitation (22.14mm, 5.06g, 6h)
Likely struck AD 350-3
Imitation of the Lugdunum mint
Obverse: [D N D]ECENTI-VS CAESAR, bare-headed, draped and/or cuirassed bust of Decentius right
Reverse: VICT[? ? ? ? ?] VG ET CES, two Victories standing facing each other, holding between them wreath encircling VOT [? ?] [MVLT] X which is resting on short column; [?]PLG in exergue
These 'unofficial' issues were struck to help alleviate severe local shortages of coinage.
From the collection of Commodore Daniel Turner (1794-1850), naval veteran of the War of 1812 and later captain of the USS Constitution.

 

And the former owner:

That is very well the most stunning portrait of Constantius II I've ever seen! And classic reverse. 

How cool is that, beyond decent, Decentius!? The tag looks like it was written by the same guy that wrote the map from The Goonies!

Amazing provenance!

[CPK]

53 minutes ago, Ryro said:

That is very well the most stunning portrait of Constantius II I've ever seen! And classic reverse. 

How cool is that, beyond decent, Decentius!? The tag looks like it was written by the same guy that wrote the map from The Goonies!

Amazing provenance!

Thanks! I couldn't resist grabbing a few ex-Turner coins, the handwritten tags are so cool!

[mcwyler]

The two brothers, who by these signs failed to conquer...

 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Here's my Decentius and Magnentius...it seems like these late Roman upon Roman struggles depleted the legions from their task of holding out the barbarians who were increasingly being integrated into the frontier provinces. Also, Edward Gibbon blamed Christianity for blunting the natural martial spirit of the Romans as they became less vigorous and more concerned with Christological controversies than maintaining the security of the state.

Nice pic of the battle as well showing the various types of arms and armor used in the Late Empire. By this time the soldiers had switched to circular shields and a conical helmet with a nose piece. There also are cataphractoi (heavily armored cavalry) which was quite different from the former light cavalry detachments the Romans used. It cracks me up when documentaries and docudramas of the late empire show soldiers carrying the rectangular scutum and short sword (gladius) which had been supplanted by the longsword or spatha.

 

 

Edited September 29 by Ancient Coin Hunter

[Heliodromus]

The battle of Mursa as reflected on the coinage ...

The battle of Mursa took place at Mursa, Pannonia (modern Osijek, Croatia), which is about 100 miles due east from Siscia, and reflected the easternmost point that Magnentius was able to gain before being repelled by Constantius II in this pivotal battle.

We can see Magnentius recording his brief control of Siscia on his scarce VICTORIA AVG ET CAES type, with the emperor + captive reverse following that of his VICTORIA AVG LIB ROMANOR type issued from Rome.

Constantius II had come from further east to meet Magnentius, and the closest mint to Mursa/Siscia in the terrritory under his control at this time was Thessalonica (Sirmium was not minting at this time), and so apparetly to record this bloody victory, he issued a scarce FEL TEMP REPARATIO type from Thessalonica mirroring the emperor + captive type that Magnentius had issued from Siscia.

Here's a graphic I made for a previous discussion, showing the relevant types from my collection, plus a map of the battle location (red "x" to east of Siscia marks the spot).

Edited September 29 by Heliodromus

[Al Kowsky]

18 hours ago, CPK said:

Great coins! Here is my FH type of Constantius II:
 

CONSTANTIUS II, AD 337-361
BI Centenionalis (23.98mm, 4.79g, 11h)
Struck AD 351-2. Syria, Antioch mint
Obverse: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Constantius II right
Reverse: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, soldier rushing left, holding shield on left arm and spearing fallen horseman whose mount has stumbled beneath him, shield on ground to right; ANZ in exergue
References: RIC VIII 135, RCV 18171
A fine portrait, coupled with a wonderfully artistic reverse scene engraved in great detail. Sear notes that the bearded and diademed horseman on these types from Antioch "almost certainly represents the Sasanid king." (Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. V, p. 177)

 

And an imitation of Decentius, purchased mainly for the cool provenance:

MAGNUS DECENTIUS as Caesar, AD 350-3
AE Barbarous Imitation (22.14mm, 5.06g, 6h)
Likely struck AD 350-3
Imitation of the Lugdunum mint
Obverse: [D N D]ECENTI-VS CAESAR, bare-headed, draped and/or cuirassed bust of Decentius right
Reverse: VICT[? ? ? ? ?] VG ET CES, two Victories standing facing each other, holding between them wreath encircling VOT [? ?] [MVLT] X which is resting on short column; [?]PLG in exergue
These 'unofficial' issues were struck to help alleviate severe local shortages of coinage.
From the collection of Commodore Daniel Turner (1794-1850), naval veteran of the War of 1812 and later captain of the USS Constitution.

 

And the former owner:

I like the miniature painting 😍, was it done on paper or ivory 🤔?

[John Conduitt]

I have a few of these guys.

Magnentius Centenionalis, 350-351

Lugdunum. Billon, 22mm, 5.25g. Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; D N MAGNENTIVS P F AVG. Emperor standing left, holding Victory in right hand and labarum bearing ☧ in left hand; FELICITAS - REIPVBLICAE; RPLG in exergue (RIC VIII, 112). From the Freckenham (Suffolk) Hoard 1948.
 

Magnentius Nummus, 350-351

Lugdunum (or an imitation). Billon, 20mm, 4.53g. Bust of Magnentius, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed, right, A behind bust; D N MAGNEN-TIVS P F AVG. Magnentius, draped, cuirassed, standing left, holding Victory on globe in right hand and labarum bearing ☧ in left hand; FELICITAS - REI PVBLICAE; mintmark RPLG or RSLG (RIC VIII, 114). Possibly barbarous or semi-official. Official issues are usually poor. The style of this doesn’t look right but it has correct legends. The A in the right reverse field is oddly placed. The coin is also small at 20mm. From the Freckenham (Suffolk) Hoard 1948.

Magnentius Barbarous Imitation, 350-355

Britain. Bronze, 14mm, 1.36g. Bare-headed bust, draped, cuirassed, right; (D N MAGNEN)-TVS PF AVG. Two Victories, winged, draped, facing each other, holding between them a wreath inscribed VO/MV/X; ICTORINE DD NN (AVG ET CAES) (cf RIC VIII Lugdunum, 144b).
 

Decentius as Caesar Centenionalis, 350-353

Lugdunum. Bronze, 23mm, 5.92g. Bareheaded and cuirassed bust right; D N DECENT(I-VS NOB CAES). Large Chi-Rho ☧, flanked by A and ω, SALVS DD NN (AVG ET CAES); mintmark PSLG (RIC VIII, 157/159). Reportedly from the Bridgnorth (Shropshire) Hoard 2007, Portable Antiquities Scheme IARCH-65B7BF.

Barbarous Decentius Centenionalis, 350-353

Imitating Lugdunum. Bronze, 14mm, 1.32g. Bare bust of Decentius right; partially retrograde (D N DECENT)IVS NOB CAES. Two Victories standing, holding wreath; VICTORIAE DD NN AVG ET CAE (cf RIC VIII, 127-152). Found in Britain.

[CPK]

3 hours ago, Al Kowsky said:

I like the miniature painting 😍, was it done on paper or ivory 🤔?

It was on ivory. Here's the auction listing: 

Portrait Miniature on Ivory of Commodore Daniel Turner  sold at auction on 20th June | Bidsquare

[Orange Julius]

4 hours ago, Heliodromus said:

The battle of Mursa as reflected on the coinage ...

The battle of Mursa took place at Mursa, Pannonia (modern Osijek, Croatia), which is about 100 miles due east from Siscia, and reflected the easternmost point that Magnentius was able to gain before being repelled by Constantius II in this pivotal battle.

We can see Magnentius recording his brief control of Siscia on his scarce VICTORIA AVG ET CAES type, with the emperor + captive reverse following that of his VICTORIA AVG LIB ROMANOR type issued from Rome.

Constantius II had come from further east to meet Magnentius, and the closest mint to Mursa/Siscia in the terrritory under his control at this time was Thessalonica (Sirmium was not minting at this time), and so apparetly to record this bloody victory, he issued a scarce FEL TEMP REPARATIO type from Thessalonica mirroring the emperor + captive type that Magnentius had issued from Siscia.

Here's a graphic I made for a previous discussion, showing the relevant types from my collection, plus a map of the battle location (red "x" to east of Siscia marks the spot).

Here’s my example of that Thessalonica FEL TEMP. Was it minted in advance of or in celebration of Constantius’ victory over Magnentius?

[Heliodromus]

1 hour ago, Orange Julius said:

Here’s my example of that Thessalonica FEL TEMP. Was it minted in advance of or in celebration of Constantius’ victory over Magnentius?

I don't know for sure, but I'd have to assume afterwards, or minimally after Magnentius issued his Siscia type (which has to have been before the battle - he's celebrating gaving gained control of Siscia), because:

1) This standing emperor with captive type is not from the normal FEL TEMP repertoire of types, and instead seems to be copying Magnentius' type (which in turn is based on his Rome type). So,  Constantius seems to be reacting to Magnentius here. It's interesting to note that he not only copies Magnentius' type, but literally mirrors it with Magnentius' emperor facing east (towards his hoped-for advance), and Constantius' emperor facing west towards the battle site.

2) I can't imagine Constantius issuing a victory type like this (captive + victory on globe), with his feel good FEL TEMP legend, ahead of time when facing off against an army of this size. This would seem very presumptuous, and with armies of this size was always going to be a brutal battle. In the event each side is estimated to have lost around 25,000 men.

So, it seems that Magnentius first captures Siscia, issues his type celebrating his short-lived victory, then the battle ensues, after which Constantius issues his "FEL TEMP" type celebrating *his* (pyrrhic) victory.

 

Edited September 29 by Heliodromus