Aureus

Aurelian reigned during the period known as the Crisis of the Third Century (235-284), when troops adopted the custom of appointing and deposing emperors at will. The coins became an instrument of propaganda, and their legends became messages that invoked the harmony between the emperor and his soldiers. Hence the legend on the reverse of […]

Aureus

Aureus

Aureus

This coin commemorates the granting of the title Augusta (empress) to Julia Domna. Imperial consorts did not acquire the status of empress when their husbands took the throne, but rather they had to be expressly appointed by their spouses. The mention, on the reverse, of Venus Victoriosa relates to the love that the couple professed […]

Aureus

This coin was minted in 193, just after Septimius Severus defeated one of the rivals for the imperial throne, Didius Julianus, in order to reward the loyalty of his soldiers. Hence the allusion to the emperor’s liberality (Liberalitas Augusti) mentioned in the legend on the reverse.