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GORDIAN III AR antoninianus - struck February 244 AD
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obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG (radiate draped bust right)
rev: VICTOR AETER (Victory standing left with palm, resting sheild on captive at foot)
ref: RIC IViii 154, RSC 348
mint: Rome
4.03gms, 22mm
14th Issue, 5th Officina
History: Early in 244, the Roman and Sassanian armies met again near the city of Misiche (modern Fallujah, Iraq). Shapur's forces were triumphant, and the city was renamed Peroz-Shapur, "Victorious [is] Shapur." Shapur commemorated his victory with a sculpture and trilingual inscription (at Naqsh-i-Rustam in modern-day Iran) that claimed that Gordian III was killed in the battle. Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away, upstream of the Euphrates. On 25 February AD 244 near Zaitha (Qalat es Salihiyah) the soldiers elected Philip emperor. Although ancient sources often described Philip, as having murdered Gordian at Zaitha, the cause of Gordian's death is unknown (11 February 244).
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