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Author Topic: The coinages of the mints of Siscia and Lyons and the rebellion of Julianus of P  (Read 1177 times)

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Offline AMICTUS

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1. A few comments were made some months ago about the dating of the rebellion of Julianus of Pannonia arguing for a date in autumn 283 A.D. This date is based on both the text of Aurelius Victor and of some numismatic elements: a serie of coins of Carinus, Numerianus and  Magnia Urbica minted at the begining of the issue at Siscia marked SMSXXIA-I¨ and with the reverse legends VOTA PVBLICA and SALVS PVBLICA, which has obverse portraits looking very closely to those of Julianus of Pannonia. Consequently this issue must have been minted after the fall of Julianus and, as Numerianus has a full share of the coinage, it must have been minted before November 284 A.D. To be in line with Aurelius Victor’s text   (Cari morte cognita) the rebellion should have taken place once the death of Carus was known (August-September 283 A.D.).

2. Taking autumn 283 A.D as the date of  Julianus’ rebellion into consideration and without reviewing the whole coinage of Carus et sui, some preliminary conclusions can be drawn about the coinage of the mint city of Lyons. A tentative new sequence for its final  issues (namely the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th according to P. Bastien) can be proposed.

3. Usually the consecration issue ‘Divo Caro Pio’ is considered as the final one of the mint of Lyons under Carus et sui and is in consequence dated end 284 A.D. Thus, it is to take place about one year after the death of Carus (first anniversary ?), and is to be linked to the consecration gold issues at Rome for Divus Numerianus and Divus Nigrinianus. It is also seen as being a propaganda coinage of the legitimate emperor going to war against the usurper Julianus of Pannonia in 284 A.D. Such a delay in minting consecration coins for a deified emperor within the same dynasty is very strange. Moreover such a delay did not occured in the others working mint-cities across the Empire at that time: Alexandria, Tripoli, Antioch, Siscia and Rome which minted coins for the Divus Carus without delay. So, why such a different situation at Lyons. 

4. In fact, if it is considered that this issue has been minted in August-September 283 A.D,  just after the death of Carus, a different scheme can be suggested. The order of issues at Lyons could be the following:

a. Mid-summer and autumn 283 A.D: two linked issues (10th and 9th according to P. Bastien) one for Divus Carus Pius and one for the new dynasty (Carinus - taking over Carus’coinage after his death (officina and reverse legends)-, Numerianus, Urbica) are minted. As they  followed closely the various events of the period: wedding with Magnia Urbica, death and consecration of Carus, rebellion of Julianus, the two issues may have been minted partly at the same time and in an intricated manner (aurei, aureliani, changing of reverse legends amongst rulers resulting in uneven output of the various workshops).This  being due to the sequence of the events occuring in summer and autumn 283 A.D.

b. Begining-spring 284 A.D: one issue in two phases is minted (7th and 8th according to P. Bastien).The first phase is marked A-D/LVG (LVG being an honour granted to Lyons for its support against Julianus) and the second phase is marked A-D. Both phases have the same reverse legends (VIRTVS, FELICITAS, PIETAS, SALVS) corresponding to a more stable situation established  after the crisis of the autumn 283 A.D.

c. After spring 284 A.D the mint of Lyons ceased its activity.

5. One may regret that a special issue for a deified ruler did  not closed this coinage period...                                                                       



 

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