| Image search results - "Pupienus" |
35 PupienusPUPIENUS
Æ Sestertius, 238 A.D.
IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / PAX PVBLICA, SC, Pax seated left, holding branch and sceptre.
RIC V 22; BMCRE 48; Cohen 23.
VF, Rare
Ex LucernaeSosius
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35 Pupienus DenariusPUPIENUS
AR Antoninanus. 238 AD
O: IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG, radiate, draped & cuirassed bust right
R: CARITAS MVTVA AVGG, clasped hands.
RSC 3, RIC 10b, Sear 8520
Ex Artifact Man Ancient Coins (vCoins)Sosius
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RIC-10(a) Pupienus Clasped HandsIMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG - Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
CARITAS MVTVA AVGG - (Mutual Clarity of the Emperors), clasped hands
This is the scarcer variant of RIC 10. Superb portrait. David Sear ANCCS certified.
From Forum ancient Coinsjimwho523
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(0238) PUPIENUS238 AD
AE Sestertius 30 mm 14.45 g
O: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG
Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust R
R: CONCORDIA AVGG
Concordia seated left, with patera & double cornucopiaelaney
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01. Gordian III as Caesar / RIC 1.Denarius, April - July 238 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: M ANT GORDIANVS CAES / Bust of Gordian.
Reverse: PIETAS AVGG / Sacrificial implements: lituus, knife, vase, simpulum, and sprinkler.
2.64 gm., 19.5 mm.
RIC #1 (Balbinus & Pupienus); Sear #8557.Callimachus
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034a. Balbinus & PupienusCo-Augustus in Rome 22 April -- 29 July 238 in Rome with Pupienus.
After collapse of the Gordians in Africa, the Roman Senate felt it had no recourse except to continue its resistance to Maximinus, who remained on campaign outside the city. It therefore appointed Balbinus, a very senior senator, and Pupienus as co-rulers. War was averted between the two sides when Maximinus was killed by his own troops. The two co-emperors, however, had poor relations with each other and did not rule effectively. Both were seized by the praetorians and murdered.lawrence c
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035a01. PupienusAR Antoninianus. 238 AD. Obv: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: AMOR MVTVVS AVGG, clasped right hands. RIC 9a, RSC 1.lawrence c
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035a02. PupienusTarsos (Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey). Bronze hexassarion. 28.145g, 35.7mm. 180o. Obverse AYT KEC M ΛO∆ ΠOΠΛHNIOC CE, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Pupienus to right, seen from behind, Π − Π divided across field; reverse TAPCOY MHTPOΠOΛ A / M K Γ B (the last four letters in the fields), Athena advancing right, head turned back left, Nike in right hand, spear in left hand, oval shield on left arm. SNG BnF 1636 (same dies); SNG Levante 1116; SNG Pfalz 1390; SNG Righetti 1678; BMC Cilicia p. 210, 244; RPC 2970. A FORUM coin.lawrence c
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036a. Gordian IIIAugustus 29 July 238 - 25 February 244
Grandson of Gordian I. With his death, Gordian III inherited an enormous fortune, which likely helped him gain the position of Emperor at age 13. He briefly held the position of Caesar under Balbinus and Pupienus. From 241, Gordian's primary advisor was the praetorian prefect Timesitheus, whose daughter he married. Timesitheus, however, died in 243/244, and his position was filled by Philip the Arab, who clearly had designs for the throne. Philip proceeded to undermine Gordian and deposed him in 244. Gordian was killed.lawrence c
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05. Pupienus / RIC 10b.Antoninianus, June - July, 238 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG / Radiate bust of Pupienus.
Reverse: CARITAS MVTVA AVGG / Two clasped right hands.
4.76 gm., 21 mm.
RIC #10b; Sear #8520.Callimachus
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06 - Personalities of the EmpireGordian II, Pupienus, Balbinus, Gordian III, Tranquilina, Philip I, Octacilla Severa, Philip II, Trajan Decius, Her. Etruscilla, Her. Etrusco, Hostilian, Trebonianus Gallus and Aemilianusmdelvalle
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06. Gordian III as Caesar / RIC 1.Denarius, April - July 238 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: M ANT GORDIANVS CAES / Bust of Gordian.
Reverse: PIETAS AVGG / Sacrificial implements: lituus, knife, vase, simpulum, and sprinkler.
2.64 gm., 19.5 mm.
RIC #1 (Balbinus & Pupienus); Sear #8557.
This denarius was minted near the beginning of the 99 day reign of Balbinus and Pupienus. Denarii of Gordian III as Caesar are quite rare, so it is likely they were minted only to commemorate the occasion of his proclamation as Caesar. When the antoninianus was re-introduced about half way through the reign, none were issued in Gordian's name.
The AVGG in reverse legend refers to Balbinus and Pupienus. Callimachus
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066 Pupienus. AR Antoninianusobv: IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG radiat, drp. bust r.
rev: PATRES SENATVS clasped handshill132
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086 - Pupienus Antoninianus - RIC 09aAntoninianus
Obv:- IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev:- AMOR MVTVVS AVGG, clasped hands
Minted in Rome. 238 A.D.
References:- Cohen 2. RIC 9a
4.09 g. 22.17 mm. 180 degreesmaridvnvm
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096. Pupienus (238 A.D.)Av.: IMP CAES M CLOD PUPIENUS AVG
Rv.: VICTORIA AVGG / S-C
AE Sestertius Ø27-30 / 17.4g
RIC 23a Rome, Cohen 38
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096. Pupienus (238 A.D.)Av.: IMP CAES M CLOD PUPIENUS AVG
Rv.: VICTORIA AVGG / S-C
AE Sestertius Ø27-30 / 17.4g
RIC 23a Rome, Cohen 38
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108 - BALBINVSDecimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus was Roman emperor with Pupienus for three months in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors.
for obverse, reverse and coin details click hereshanxi
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109 – PVPIENVSPupienus was Roman emperor with Balbinus for three months in 238, during the Year of the Six Emperors.
for obverse, reverse and coin details click here
shanxi
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13. Gordian III / RIC 116.Denarius, 240 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG / Laureate bust of Gordian.
Reverse: VIRTVTI AVGVSTI / Hercules standing, resting right hand on hip and left hand club set on rock; lion-skin beside club.
3.58 gm., 20 mm.
RIC #116; Sear #8684.
The chronology of the denarii coinage of Gordian III has been poorly understood because Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) has it mixed up in its listings. For example, it will tell you that 5 denarii (Diana, Pietas, Salus, Securitas, and Venus) were issued in the summer of 241 to commemorate the marriage of Gordian and Tranquillina. Recent thinking tells another entirely different story. The following summary is based on a posting by Curtis Clay, November 25, 2011, on the Forum Ancient Coins Classical Numismatics Discussion Board.
Although antoniniani were issued for a while under Caracalla and Elagabalus, the denarius was the standard silver denomination throughout the reigns of Severus Alexander, Maximinus Thrax, and into the first part of the joint reign of Balbinus & Pupienus. (This, by the way, is when the PIETAS AVGG denarius of Gordian as Caesar was issued.) Sometime during the short reign of Balbinus & Pupienus, the antoninianus supplanted the denarius as the standard silver denomination. When Gordian III became emperor (July 238), his administration continued to follow the then current practice of issuing only antoniniani.
Early in 240, Gordian apparently decided to revert back to the traditional coinage of the Empire and began to issue only denarii. The denarii issued at this time were the following:
P M TR P III COS P P / Horseman
DIANA LVCIFERA
PIETAS AVGVSTI
SALVS AVGVSTI
SECVRITAS PVBLICA
VENVS VICTRIX
No antoniniani exist with these reverse types.
The next issue of denarii was issued in the summer of 240 after Gordian became COS II, and consists of these types:
P M TR P III COS II P P / Emperor standing
P M TR P III COS II P P / Apollo seated
AETERNITATI AVG
IOVIS STATOR
LAETITIA AVG N
VIRTVTI AVGVSTI
Within a short time, however, it was decided to go back to having the antoninianus as the standard silver denomination. Antoniniani were issued again, at first with the same reverse types as the second issue of denarii. That is why these reverse types exist on denarii and antoniniani even though they were not issued at the same time.
So the period the mint issued denarii rather than antoniniani as the standard silver denomination lasted from about March through August, 240. This was the last time denarii were issued for general circulation. The antoninianus lasted until Diocletian’s coinage reform of 295, after which Roman coinage was so vastly different that there was no question of returning to the denarius.
The 13 denarii of Gordian III are presented in this album in this order:
Gordian III as Caesar denarius - 1 coin.
First issue of denarii - 6 coins.
Second issue of denarii - 6 coins.Callimachus
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1cj Balbinus238
Sestertius
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust, right, seen from front, right, IMP CAES D CAEL BALBINVS AVG
Felicitas standing facing, head left, holding caduceus in right hand, PM TR P COS II PP SC
RIC 18
Herodian wrote, continuing the story of the rebellions against Maximinus: When the death of the elder Gordian was reported at Rome, . . . the senate therefore thought it best to meet and consider what should be done. Since they had already cast the die, they voted to issue a declaration of war and choose two men from their own ranks to be joint emperors. . . . Other senators received votes, but on the final count [Pupienus] Maximus and Balbinus were elected joint emperors by majority opinion. . . .
[Pupienus] had held many army commands; appointed prefect of Rome, he administered the office with diligence and enjoyed among the people a good reputation for his understanding nature, his intelligence, and his moderate way of life. Balbinus, an aristocrat who had twice served as consul and had governed provinces without complaint, had a more open and frank nature. After their election, the two men were proclaimed Augusti, and the Senate awarded them by decree all the imperial honors.
While these actions were being taken on the Capitoline Hill, the people, whether they were informed by Gordian's friends and fellow countrymen or whether they learned it by rumor, filled the entire street leading up to the Capitol. The huge mob was armed with stones and clubs, for they objected to the Senate's action and particularly disapproved of [Pupienus]. The prefect ruled the city too strictly for the popular taste, and was very harsh in his dealings with the criminal and reckless elements of the mob. In their fear and dislike of [Pupienus], they kept shouting threats to kill both emperors, determined that the emperor be chosen from the family of Gordian and that the title remain in that house and under that name.
Balbinus and [Pupienus] surrounded themselves with an escort of swordsmen from the young equestrians and the discharged soldiers living in Rome, and tried to force their way from the Capitol. The mob, armed with stones and clubs, prevented this until, at someone's suggestion, the people were deceived. There was in Rome at that time a little child, the son of Gordian's daughter, who bore his grandfather's name.
The two emperors ordered some of their men to bring the child to the Capitol. Finding the lad playing at home, they lifted him to their shoulders and brought him to the Capitol through the midst of the crowd. Showing the boy to the people and telling them that he was the son of Gordian, they called him "Gordian," while the mob cheered the boy and scattered leaves in his path. The senate appointed him caesar, since he was not old enough to be emperor. The mob, placated, allowed the imperial party to proceed to the palace.
Blindado
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1ck Pupienus238
Sestertius
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust, right, IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG
Pax seated left with branch & scepter PAX PVBLICA SC
RIC 22b
Herodian, continuing the story of the rebellion against Maximinus, wrote: [Pupienus] led most of these soldiers out to attack Maximinus; the rest remained behind to guard and defend the city. . . . In the meantime, having completed his march, Maximinus was poised on the borders of Italy; after offering sacrifices at all the boundary altars, he advanced into Italy. . . . When no opposition was offered, they crossed the Alps without hindrance. . . . While the army was in the plain, the scouts reported that Aquileia, the largest city in that part of Italy, had closed its gates and that the Pannonian legions which had been sent ahead had launched a vigorous attack upon the walls of this city. In spite of frequent assaults, they were completely unsuccessful. . . .
As time passed, the army of Maximinus grew depressed and, cheated in its expectations, fell into despair. . . . As Maximinus rode about, the [people of Aquileia] shouted insults and indecent blasphemies at him and his son. The emperor became increasingly angry because he was powerless to retaliate. . . . The emperor's soldiers were. . . in need of everything. There was scarcely even sufficient water for them. . . .
Without warning, the soldiers whose camp was near Rome at the foot of Mount Alba, where they had left their wives and children, decided that the best solution was to kill Maximinus and end the interminable siege. . . . [T]he conspirators went to Maximinus' tent about noon. The imperial bodyguard, which was involved in the plot, ripped Maximinus' pictures from the standards; when he came out of his tent with his son to talk to them, they refused to listen and killed them both. . . .
For the rest of the time the two emperors governed in an orderly and well-regulated manner, winning approval on every hand both privately and publicly. The people honored and respected them as patriotic and admirable rulers of the empire. . . . It so happened that the two men were not in complete accord: so great is the desire for sole rule and so contrary to the usual practice is it for the sovereignty to be shared that each undertook to secure the imperial power for himself alone. Balbinus considered himself the more worthy because of his noble birth and his two terms as consul; [Pupienus] felt that he deserved first place because he had served as prefect of Rome and had won a good reputation by his administrative efforts. Both men were led to covet the sole rule because of their distinguished birth, aristocratic lineage, and the size of their families. This rivalry was the basis of their downfall. When [Pupienus] learned that the Praetorian Guard was coming to kill them, he wished to summon a sufficient number of the German auxiliaries who were in Rome to resist the conspirators. But Balbinus, thinking that this was a ruse intended to deceive him (he knew that the Germans were devoted to [Pupienus]), refused to allow [Pupienus] to issue the order. . . . While the two men were arguing, the praetorians rushed in. . . . When the guards at the palace gates deserted the emperors, the praetorians seized the old men and ripped off the plain robes they were wearing because they were at home. Dragging the two men naked from the palace, they inflicted every insult and indignity upon them. Jeering at these emperors elected by the senate, they beat and tortured them. . . . When the Germans learned what was happening, they snatched up their arms and hastened to the rescue. As soon as the praetorians were informed of their approach, they killed the mutilated emperors. Blindado
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1cl Gordian III238-244
Antoninianus
Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust, right, IMP GORDINVS PIVS FEL AVG
Laetitia standing right with wreath & anchor, LAETITIA AVG N
RIC 86
Continuing his story of the deaths of Balbinus and Pupienus, Herodian wrote: Leaving the corpses exposed in the street, the praetorians took up Gordian Caesar and proclaimed him emperor, since at the moment they could find no other candidate for the office. Proclaiming that they had only killed the men whom the people did not want to rule them in the first place, they chose as emperor this Gordian who was descended from the Gordian whom the Romans themselves had forced to accept the rule. Keeping their emperor Gordian with them, they went off to the praetorian camp. . . . Gordian, at the age of about thirteen, was designated emperor and assumed the burden of the Roman empire. . . .
Eutropius continued the story: After Gordian, when quite a boy, had married Tranquillina at Rome, he opened the temple of Janus, and, setting out for the east, made war upon the Parthians, who were then proceeding to make an irruption. This war he soon conducted with success, and made havoc of the Persians in great battles. As he was returning, he was killed, not far from the Roman boundaries, by the treachery of Philip who reigned after him. The Roman soldiers raised a monument for him, twenty miles from Circessus, which is now a fortress of the Romans, overlooking the Euphrates. His relics they brought to Rome, and gave him the title of god. Blindado
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302. BALBINUSBALBINUS. 238 AD.
The relation between Balbinus and Pupienus had been clouded with suspicion from the start, with both fearing an assassination from the other. They were planning an enormous double campaign, Pupienus against the Parthians and Balbinus against the Carpians, but they quarrelled frequently. It was during one of these heavy discussions, on July 29, that the Praetorian guard decided to intervene. They stormed into the room containing the emperors and killed them both. On the same day, Gordian III, only 13 years old, was proclaimed emperor.
Together they ruled a little more than three months. Coins from their short reign show one of them on one side and two clasped hands on the other to show their joint power.
AR Denarius (21mm, 2.92 gm). Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Victory standing facing, head left, holding wreath and palm. RIC IV 8; BMCRE 37; RSC 27. Good VF, toned, Ex- CNGecoli
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302a PupienusPupienus, born about 178, was an example of ascension in the Roman hierarchical system due to military success. He started as a primus pilus and became a military tribune, praetor, consul (twice) and governor of several Roman provinces including the troublesome Germania Inferior. In 234 he was prefect of Rome and gained a reputation for severity.
The relation between Balbinus and Pupienus had been clouded with suspicion from the start, with both fearing an assassination from the other. They were planning an enormous double campaign, Pupienus against the Parthians and Balbinus against the Carpians, but they quarrelled frequently. It was during one of these heavy discussions, on July 29, that the Praetorian guard decided to intervene. They stormed into the room containing the emperors and killed them both. On the same day, the boy Caesar, generally known in English as Gordian III, was proclaimed emperor.
Pupienus. AD 238. Æ Sestertius (31mm, 25.78 g). Rome mint. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / Victory standing left, holding wreath and palm. RIC IV 23. Fair, brown patina.
Ex-CNG sale 141, lot 207, 215/100
Check
ecoli
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66 - 03 - PUPIENO (22/04/238 - 29/07/238 D.C.)AE Sestercio 30 mm 20.1 gr.
Anv: "IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG" - Busto laureado, vistiendo coraza y paludamentum (capote militar) sobre ella, viendo a der.
Rev: "VICTORIA AVGG - S / C" - Victoria estante de frente, viendo a su derecha, portando guirnalda/corona en mano derecha u hoja de palma en izq..
Acuñada 238 D.C.
Ceca: Roma
Referencias: RIC Vol.IVb #23a Pag.175 - Sear RCTV Vol.III #8539 Pag.109 - BMCRE VI #58/60 Pag.255/6 - Cohen Vol.V #38 Pag.18 - DVM #14 Pag.223mdelvalle
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Gordian I Africanus / AthenaGordian I Africanus, Egypt, Alexandria. A.D. 238. BI tetradrachm (22 mm, 12.47 g, 12 h). RY 1.
O: A K M AN ΓOPΔIANOC CЄM AΦ ЄVCЄB, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian I right
R: Athena seated left, holding Nike and spear; in left field, date (L A).
- Köln 2600; cf. Dattari (Savio) 4656 (legend); Kampmann & Ganschow 68.6., Ex Coin Galleries (16 July 2003), 264.
Perhaps the most reluctant of Emperors, Gordian I (Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus Africanus Augustus) was Roman Emperor for one month with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, he was defeated by forces loyal to Maximinus before committing suicide.
According to Edward Gibbon:
"An iniquitous sentence had been pronounced against some opulent youths of [Africa], the execution of which would have stripped them of far the greater part of their patrimony. (…) A respite of three days, obtained with difficulty from the rapacious treasurer, was employed in collecting from their estates a great number of slaves and peasants blindly devoted to the commands of their lords, and armed with the rustic weapons of clubs and axes. The leaders of the conspiracy, as they were admitted to the audience of the procurator, stabbed him with the daggers concealed under their garments, and, by the assistance of their tumultuary train, seized on the little town of Thysdrus, and erected the standard of rebellion against the sovereign of the Roman empire. (...) Gordianus, their proconsul, and the object of their choice [as emperor], refused, with unfeigned reluctance, the dangerous honour, and begged with tears that they should suffer him to terminate in peace a long and innocent life, without staining his feeble age with civil blood. Their menaces compelled him to accept the Imperial purple, his only refuge indeed against the jealous cruelty of Maximin (...)."
Because of the absence of accurate dating in the literary sources, the precise chronology of these events has been the subject of much study. The present consensus among historians assigns the following dates (all in the year 238 A.D.) to these events: March 22nd Gordian I, II were proclaimed Emperors in Africa; April 1st or 2nd they were recognized at Rome; April 12th they were killed (after reigning twenty days); April 22nd Pupienus and Balbinus were proclaimed Emperors; June 24th Maximinus and his son were assassinated outside of Aquileia; July 29th Pupienus and Balbinus were assassinated and Gordian III proclaimed as sole Augustus.Nemonater
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Gordian I DenariusGordian I, 238. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 3.25 g, 7 h), Rome, March-April 238.
O: IMP M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Gordian I to right, seen from behind.
R: ROMAE AETERNAE Roma seated left on shield, holding Victory in her right hand and spear in her left.
- BMC 8. Cohen 8. RIC 4.
- From the collection of Regierungsrat Dr. iur. Hans Krähenbühl, privately acquired from Bank Leu on 29 June 1966
Gordian I and his son Gordian II share the dubious distinction of having the shortest reigns of any "legitimate" Roman emperors. Born in AD 159 during an era of peace and stability, Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus claimed a distant relation to the emperor Trajan on his mother's side and descent from those famous Republican reformers, the brothers Gracchi, on his father's.
Despite these illustrious genes, he had a rather uneventful career as a Senator and did not reach the Consulship until the advanced age of 64. He was approaching his 80s when, in AD 237/8, the Emperor Maximinus I appointed him governor of North Africa, where he was expected to enforce the regime's draconian program of taxation. In March of 238, a group of young African nobles rebelled and murdered the emperor's tax agent.
Realizing they'd passed the point of no return, the rich rebels sent a delegation to Gordian begging him to accept the purple as a rival to the unpopular Maximinus, who was preoccupied campaigning on the Rhine frontier. At first reluctant, Gordian accepted their acclamation on March 19 and appointed his son, Gordian II, as co-emperor.
The Gordians both assumed the title Africanus and dispatched a messenger to Rome proclaiming their program of reform. The Senate, which hated the brutish Maximinus, eagerly approved their elevation and began striking coins in their names. But Maximinus ordered his loyal governor in Numidia, Capellianus, to attack Carthage and crush the revolt. Capellianus duly set out with a veteran force, against which the Gordians could only pull together an ill-trained rabble. Gordian II died in battle on April 12, AD 238 and his father hanged himself upon hearing of its outcome. They had together reigned a mere 22 days.
An enduring mystery is the excellent quality of the Roman coinage of Gordian I and II, whose reign totaled 21 days, during which neither emperor left North Africa. Despite their brief production run, coins of Gordian I and II are notable for their fine portraiture and careful quality control.
Both portraits are distinctive, carefully engraved, and clearly modeled on the actual rulers. There seems to have been no "interim phase" during which the imperial portrait was simply a modified version of the predecessor (as with Trajan and Maximinus I, both of whom were absent from Rome when raised to the purple).
Two possibilities suggest themselves: (1) The "spontaneous" revolt of the Gordians in Africa had actually been carefully planned in advance, with coin dies prepared in secret from busts provided to the mint workers by their backers in the Senate; (2) the production of coins for Gordian I and II extended well beyond their brief reign, perhaps running concurrently with the coinage of Balbinus, Pupienus and Gordian III as Caesar, allowing time for proper effigies of the deceased rulers to be provided to the mint.
Nemonater
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Gordian IIIGordian III Silver Antoninianus, Rome, RIC 66
Obv.: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: LIBERALITAS AVG II, Liberalitas standing left with abacus & cornucopia Coin is much nicer than scan
Gordian III Silver Antoninianus, Rome, RIC 66
Obv.: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Gordian III was the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. He was proclaimed Caesar shortly before the murder of Balbinus and Pupienus, and he succeeded them. Little is known about his reign. In 242 A.D. he embarked on a campaign against the Persian Kingdom which was so successful the Persians had to evacuate Mesopotamia. However, Gordian III died shortly after, through illness or the machinations of his Praetorian prefect and successor, Philip I.
Dumanyu2
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Gordian III AE Sestertius. IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right / LAETITIA AVG N SC, Laetitia standing left, with wreath and anchor.
RIC 300a, Cohen 122.
*Caesar under Pupienus and Balbinus: April–July AD 238. Augustus: AD 238–244. It is uncertain where he died. Some believe he was murdered by his army at Zaitha, whilst others believe that he died in battle against the Sassanids. He was deified under Philip I.Antonivs Protti
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Gordian III AntoninianusGordian III. Caesar under Pupienus and Balbinus April–July AD 238. Augustus AD 238–244
Rome. 243-244 AD.
23mm., 4.6g.
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG. Bust of Gordian III, radiate, draped, cuirassed, right.
FORTVNA REDVX. Fortuna, draped, seated left, holding rudder set on ground in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand; under seat, wheel.
References: RIC IV Gordian III 144
AADQRL
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Gordian III obverseGordian III Silver Antoninianus, Rome, RIC 66
Obv.: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: LIBERALITAS AVG II, Liberalitas standing left with abacus & cornucopia Coin is much nicer than scan
Gordian III Silver Antoninianus, Rome, RIC 66
Obv.: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Gordian III was the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. He was proclaimed Caesar shortly before the murder of Balbinus and Pupienus, and he succeeded them. Little is known about his reign. In 242 A.D. he embarked on a campaign against the Persian Kingdom which was so successful the Persians had to evacuate Mesopotamia. However, Gordian III died shortly after, through illness or the machinations of his Praetorian prefect and successor, Philip I.
Dumanyu2
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Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D.Silver antoninianus, RIC 216, RSC 319, VF, Antioch, 3.623g, 21.87mm, 180o, 242 - 244 A.D.; obverse IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate and cuirassed bust right, seen from behind; reverse SAECVLI FELICITAS, Emperor standing right holding spear and globe; spots of dark toning;
Gordian III was the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. He was proclaimed Caesar shortly before the murder of Balbinus and Pupienus, and he succeeded them. Little is known about his reign. In 242 A.D. he embarked on a campaign against the Persian Kingdom which was so successful the Persians had to evacuate Mesopotamia. However, Gordian III died shortly after, through illness or the machinations of his Praetorian prefect and successor, Philip I.b70
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Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Ancient CounterfeitFouree plated denarius, ancient forgery cf. RIC 53, S 8620 (Rome mint, 239 A.D.), aF, illegal, 4.261g, 23.5mm, 165o, 239 - c. 244 A.D.; obverse IMP CAES GORDIANVS PIVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust seen from behind; reverse LIBERALITAS AVG II, Liberalitas standing front, head left, holding an abacus and and cornucopia;
Gordian III was the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. He was proclaimed Caesar shortly before the murder of Balbinus and Pupienus, and he succeeded them. Little is known about his reign. In 242 A.D. he embarked on a campaign against the Persian Kingdom which was so successful the Persians had to evacuate Mesopotamia. However, Gordian III died shortly after, through illness or the machinations of his Praetorian prefect and successor, Philip I.b70
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IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG / P M S COL VIM / Ӕ30 (239-240 AD)IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / P M S CO - L VIM, personification of Moesia standing facing, head left, arms outstretched over a lion (right) and a bull (left). AN • I • in exergue.
Ó”, 29-30+mm, 16.75g, die axis 1h (slightly turned medal alignment), material: looks like red copper.
IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG = Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Augustus, P M S COL VIM = Provinciae Moesiae Superioris Colonia Viminacium = Colony of Viminacium, in the province of Upper Moesia, AN•I• = the first year. 238 AD was the infamous "year of the 6 emperors", so 239-240 was the first sole ruling year of Gordian III. The bull is the symbol of Legio VII Claudia, based in the capital of Moesia Superior, Viminacium itself, and the lion is the symbol of Legio IV Flavia Felix based in another city of Moesia Superior, Singidunum (modern Belgrade). Due to size this is most probably a sestertius, but large dupondius is another possibility, since it is clearly made of red copper and sestertii were typically made of expensive "gold-like" orichalcum, a kind of brass (but in this time of civil strife they could have used a cheaper replacement). Literature fails to clearly identify the denomination of this type.
A straightforward ID due to size and clear legends, this is AMNG 71; Martin 1.01.1 minted in Viminacium, Moesia Superior (Kostolac, Serbia).
Gordian III was Roman Emperor from 238 AD to 244 AD. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole legal Roman emperor throughout the existence of the united Roman Empire. Gordian was the son of Antonia Gordiana and an unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor Gordian I and younger sister of Emperor Gordian II. Very little is known of his early life before his acclamation. Gordian had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238 AD.
In 235, following the murder of Emperor Alexander Severus, Maximinus Thrax was acclaimed Emperor. In the following years, there was a growing opposition against Maximinus in the Roman senate and amongst the majority of the population of Rome. In 238 (to become infamous as "the year of six emperors") a rebellion broke out in the Africa Province, where Gordian's grandfather and uncle, Gordian I and II, were proclaimed joint emperors. This revolt was suppressed within a month by Cappellianus, governor of Numidia and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died, but public opinion cherished their memory as peace-loving and literate men, victims of Maximinus' oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on Rome and the Senate elected Pupienus and Balbinus as joint emperors. These senators were not popular and the population of Rome was still shocked by the elder Gordians' fate, so the Senate decided to take the teenage Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus like his grandfather, and raise him to the rank of Caesar and imperial heir. Pupienus and Balbinus defeated Maximinus, mainly due to the defection of several legions, particularly the II Parthica, who assassinated Maximinus. However, their joint reign was doomed from the start with popular riots, military discontent and an enormous fire that consumed Rome in June 238. On July 29, Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by the Praetorian Guard and Gordian proclaimed sole emperor.
Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was surrendered to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of Rome through the Senate. In 240, Sabinianus revolted in the African province, but the situation was quickly brought under control. In 241, Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect, Timesitheus. As chief of the Praetorian Guard and father in law of the Emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the de facto ruler of the Roman Empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened against the Germanic tribes across the Rhine and Danube, and the Sassanid Empire across the Euphrates increased its own attacks. When the Persians under Shapur I invaded Mesopotamia, the young emperor opened the doors of the Temple of Janus for the last time in Roman history, and sent a large army to the East. The Sassanids were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the Battle of Resaena (243). The campaign was a success and Gordian, who had joined the army, was planning an invasion of the enemy's territory, when his father-in-law died in unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign, and the Emperor's security, were at risk.
Gaius Julius Priscus and, later on, his own brother Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as Philip the Arab, stepped in at this moment as the new Praetorian Prefects and the campaign proceeded. Around February 244, the Persians fought back fiercely to halt the Roman advance to Ctesiphon. Persian sources claim that a battle occurred (Battle of Misiche) near modern Fallujah (Iraq) and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III. Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away from Misiche, at Zaitha (Qalat es Salihiyah) in northern Mesopotamia. Modern scholarship does not unanimously accept this course of the events. One view holds that Gordian died at Zaitha, murdered by his frustrated army, while the role of Philip is unknown. Other scholars have concluded that Gordian died in battle against the Sassanids.
Philip transferred the body of the deceased emperor to Rome and arranged for his deification. Gordian's youth and good nature, along with the deaths of his grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands of the enemy, earned him the lasting esteem of the Romans.Yurii P
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LIBERALITAS AVGVSTORVMM ANT GORDIANVS CAES
Draped buste right seen from behind
LIBERALITAS AVGVSTORVM
Liberalitas standing left holding abacus and cornucopia
24.05g, 32mm
Second specimen known
sames dies than the specimen of Copenhagen
Same reverse dies than Balbinus https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=1887943 (Kunker auction 248, N°7565)leseullunique
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Maximus / PrincepsMaximus (Caesar, 235/6-238). AR Denarius Rome mint, 236-7.
O: MAXIMVS CAES GERM; Bareheaded and draped bust right
R: PRINC IVVENTVTIS; Maximus standing left, holding baton and spear; two signa to right
- RIC IV 3; RSC 10
Gaius Julius Verus Maximus (Maximvs Caesar) was the son of Maximinus I Thrax. Maximus was most likely given the rank of Caesar at the same time or shortly after his father assumed the rank of Augustus. He was reportedly a very handsome youth. Maximvs Caesar was loyal to his father and remained by his side during his campaign on the Danube. He was also present at the disastrous siege of Aquileia in 238 AD.
After the revolt of Gordian I and Gordian II and ascension of Balbinus and Pupienus, Maximinus and Maximus marched on Rome. They first reached the city of Aquileia, expecting an easy victory as the city's walls had long been in disrepair. However, under the leadership of senators Rutilius Pudens Crispinus and Tullus Menophilus, the walls had been repaired and the city rallied to defend itself in a siege. The Aquileians had plenty of food and good morale.
According to Herodian of Antioch, "The army of Maximinus grew depressed and, cheated in its expectations, fell into despair when the soldiers found that those whom they had not expected to hold out against a single assault were not only offering stout resistance but were even beating them back. The Aquileians, on the other hand, were greatly encouraged and highly enthusiastic, and, as the battle continued, their skill and daring increased. Contemptuous of the soldiers now, they hurled taunts at them. As Maximinus rode about, they shouted insults and indecent blasphemies at him and his son. The emperor became increasingly angry because he was powerless to retaliate. Unable to vent his wrath upon the enemy, he was enraged at most of his troop commanders because they were pressing the siege in cowardly and halfhearted fashion. Consequently, the hatred of his supporters increased, and his enemies grew more contemptuous of him each day."
Condemned by the Senate, Maximus and his father were murdered by their own troops just outside Aquileia on June 24th, 238 AD.Nemonater
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PIETAS AVGGGordianus III. (as Caesar) denarius
strucked under Balbinus and Pupienus
rareTibsi
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PupienusVatican museumsJ. B.
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PUPIENUSAR antoninianus. 238 AD. 4,42grs. Radiate draped and cuirassed bust right. IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG. / Clasped right hands. CARITAS MVTVA AVGG.
RIC 10 b. RSC 3. s 8520.benito
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PUPIENUSAR antoninianus. 238 AD. 4,42grs. Radiate draped and cuirassed bust right. IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG. / Clasped right hands. CARITAS MVTVA AVGG.
RIC 10 b. RSC 3. s 8520.
benito
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PupienusPupienus Sestertius
29 mm 18.32 gm
O: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AV
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
R:VICTORIA AVGG S C
Victory standing facing, head left, holding wreath and palmKoffy
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Pupienus (A.D. 238)AE Sestertius, A.D. 238, Rome, 31mm, 18.53g, 0°, RIC IVii 15, C 30; rare.
Obv: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: PM TR P COS II PP. Emperor standing left, holding branch and parazonium; S C in field.Marti Vltori
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Pupienus (RIC 20; Coin #692)RIC 20 (Common), AE Sestertius, Rome 238 AD.
OBV: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REV: CONCORDIA AVGG; Concordia seated left, holding flower and double cornucopiae.
SIZE: 31.7mm, 14.44gMaynardGee
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Pupienus (RIC 22, #720)RIC 22 (Scarce), Orichalcum Sestertius, Rome, 238 AD.
OBV: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG; Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right, from behind.
REV: PAX PVBLICA; Pax seated left, raising olive-branch in right hand, sceptre in left.
SIZE: 31.8mm, 15.74gMaynardGee
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Pupienus AE-Sestertius. Victoria Avg RIC 23Pupienus Æ Sestertius. IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right / VICTORIA AVGG S-C, Victory advancing left with wreath & palm. Ref Pupienus AE Sestertius, RIC 23a, Cohen 38, BMC 58, RCV 8539mattpat
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Pupienus AntoninianusPupienus silver antoninianus, Rome mint, weight 2.927g, maximum diameter 22.0mm, die axis 180o,
O: IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
R: AMOR MVTVVS AVGG (Mutual Love of the Emperors), clasped hands.
- SRCV III 8518; RIC IV, part 2, 9b; RSC III 2; BMCRE VI 82, ex-Forvm.
A.D. 238 was the year of six emperors. Maximinus Thrax was killed (along with his son Maximus Caesar) when his soldiers mutinied. Gordian II was killed in battle. Gordian I hanged himself. Pupienus and Balbinus were beaten and dragged naked through the streets of Rome before being killed by the Praetorians. Gordian III lived to become sole emperor.
The ironic reverse of this coin refers to the mutual affection and friendship of the emperors Balbinus and Pupienus. Because they were quarreling they were unable to put up a joint defense against the praetorians. They were both murdered after a reign of only 99 days. - FACNemonater
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PUPIENUS Denarius, RIC 4, PaxOBV: IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate draped bust right
REV: PAX PVBLICA, Pax seated left with branch & scepter
3.65g; 17mm
Minted at Rome, 238 ADLegatus
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Pupienus SestertiusRIC IVb 14, BMC 10, C 5
16.07g, 29 mm x 30 mm
IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right
LIBERALITAS AVGVSTORVM S-C, Liberalitas standing left, holding coin counter & cornucopiae
ScarceMark Z
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Pupienus, AntoninianusAntoninianus struck in Rome in 238 AD
IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG, Draped and radiate bust of Pupienus right
PATRES SENATVS, Clasped hands
4.91 gr
Ref : RCV #8522 var., Cohen #21
SuperbePotator II
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Pupienus, Denarius - *Rome mint, AD 238
IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
PM TRP COS II PP, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and sceptre
3.08 gr
Ref : RCV # 8527, Cohen # 26Potator II
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Pupienus, RIC 20, Sestertius of AD 238Æ Sestertius (16.76g, Ø31mm, 12h), Rome mint, Struck AD 238
Obv.: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laurate, draped bust of Pupienus facing right.
Rev.: CONCORDIA AVGG (around), S C (in ex.), Concordia seated left, holding a patera and a double cornucopiae.
RIC 20; BMC 254:43; Cohen 7
ex Jean Elsen auction 98Charles S
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Pupienus, RIC 22a, sestertius of AD 238Æ Sestertius (17.1g, Ø30mm, 12h), Rome mint, Struck AD 238
Obv.: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laurate, draped bust of Pupienus facing right.
Rev.: PAX PVBLICA (around), S C (in ex.), Pax seated left, holding an olive branch and a sceptre.
RIC 22a(S); Cohen 24
ex kc (FORVM) Charles S
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Pupienus, Sestertius Rome mint, AD 238
IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
VICTORIA AVGG, Victory standing, head turned on the left, holding wreath in her right hand, palm and drapery in her left hand
24.9 gr 31 mm
Ref : RIC IV # 23a, Cohen # 38
12/10/13 - 0500
Potator II
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Pupienus. Concordia Denarius of Rome.Roman Empire. Pupienus. 238 AD (22 April-29 July). AR Denarius (2.91 gm, 21.7mm, 4h) of Rome. Laureate, draped, & cuirassed bust right, IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG. / Concordia seated left, holding patera and double cornucopiae, CONCORDIA AVGG. EF. Bt. Louis di Lauro, Coral Gables, 2001. RIC IV.2 #1; BMCRE 42; RSC III #6; SRCV III #8523.Anaximander
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RIC 4b, p.174, 11b - Pupienus, clasped handsPupienus
AR Antoninianus, AD 238
Obv.: IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMVS AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: PATRES SENATVS, clasped hands
Ag, 4.84g, 21.6mm
Ref.: RIC 11b, RSC 21shanxi
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Roman Empire , Emperor Gordian III. AD 238-244. AR DenariusGordian III. AD 238-244. AR Denarius (20 mm, 2.92 g, 1 h) . Rome mint, 4th officina. 7th emission, struck AD 240.
Obverse : Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right .
Reverse : Salus standing right, feeding serpent from patera.
References: RIC IV 129a; RSC 325.
Superb extremely fine .
Salus was a Roman goddess. She was the goddess of health and the daughter of Asclepius God of Medicine .
Hygieia for Ancient Greeks.
New Owner : Miss. Arianna Parrillo.
EX ; The Sam Mansourati Collection./ NO. RI 2032
Marcus Antonius Gordianus (January 20, 225 – February 11, 244), known in English as Gordian III, was a Roman Emperor from 238 to 244. Marcus Antonius Gordianus' mother was the daughter of Gordian I and the sister of Gordian II. This made him the grandson and nephew of the two Gordian emperors. His younger sister was called Gordiana. Gordian had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238.
It was the public hostility towards the successors of the Gordian emperors which brought the thirteen year old boy to the attention of the Roman senate. Not only was he a Gordian and hence to the ordinary Roman people's liking, but so too was his family very rich. Rich enough to finance a bonus payment to the people.So Gordian III became Caesar (junior emperor) alongside the two new Augusti Balbinus and Pupienus. But only a few months after this, Balbinus and Pupienus was murdered by the praetorian guard.This left Gordian III accede to the throne as emperor.
In 241 Gordian married Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, the daughter of Timesitheus. Gordian joined Timesitheus who was campaigning against the Persians. When Timesitheus died of an illness, he was replaced by Philip the Arab who was to become emperor when Gordian III died in 244. How Gordian died is not known, although Philip blamed it on an illness and it is thought that Philip engineered a mutiny. Gordian III was deified after his death. Gordian ruled from 238-244.
Gordian III is considered one of the most powerful men in the world.Sam
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Gordian III (238-244)Obv: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, left.
Rev: P M TR P IIII COS II P P
Apollo seated left, holding branch and resting left arm on lyre.
Antoninianus, 5.1 gm, 22.6 mm, Rome RIC 88
History: Inheritor of a vast family fortune following the failed revolt of Gordians I and II, he was appointed Caesar under the subsequent, but short lived co-rule of the Emperors Pupienus and Balbinus. Aged thirteen, the first three years of rule came under the close guidance of the Senate, but in 341 he appointed Timesitheus to command the Praetorian Guard and help guide him through the growing chaos created by barbaric incursions. During the greatly successful campaign against the Sasanian king Shapur I, his mentor unexpectedly died and was replaced by Philip. Prosecution of the war immediately went sour culminating in the death of the Emperor probably by the instigation of Philip I who most benefited from it.
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Roman Empire, Pupienus 238, Sestertius20.36g
Laureate head of Pupienus right "IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG"
"PM TRP COS II PP SC" Pupienus standing left holding a branch and parazonium.
RIC IV 15
SOLDAntonivs Protti
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Roman Empire, Pupienus Antoninianus - Clasped Hands, Caritas Mutua (RIC 10b)AR Antoninianus
Rome 238 AD
4.90g
Obv: Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Pupienus (R).
IMP CAES PVPIEN MAXIMUS AVG
Rev: Clasped Hands
CARITAS MVTVA AVGG (Mutual charity/goodwill of the Emperors)
RIC 10b; RSC 3
From the "Benito Collection" of Ramón Sáenz de Heredia y Alonso (d.2016)
CNG Auction 114, 14/05/2020, Lot 961
ex. Busso Peus Auction 378, 28/04/2004, Lot 794
ex. Busso Peus Auction 318, 07/05/1987, Lot 1646
Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus Augustus ruled jointly with Balbinus for three months in 238, in revolt against Maximinus Thrax.
After their assassinations by the Praetorian Guard, the 13 year-old Gordian III was proclaimed sole emperor.Optimo Principi
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ROMAN EMPIRE, PUPIENUS denarius RIC 6Rome mint, AD 238
IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
PM TRP COS II PP, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus and sceptre
3.08 gr
Ref : RIC # 6, RCV # 8527, Cohen # 26Potator II
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Pupienus, DenariusPupienus 238 A.D.
Obv: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG
Rev: PAX PVBLICA
RIC IV4
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ROMAN EMPIRE, Pupienus, denarius, RIC 1IMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG.Laureate bust of Pupienus
CONCORDIA AVGG.Concordia seated left,holding patera and two cornucopia
RIC-001, RSC-6, sear 2413, Rome mint April - June AD 238
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ROMAN EMPIRE, PUPIENUS, Rome mint, struck 238 AD, silvered AntoninianusIMP C M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
CARITAS MVTVA AVG clasped hands
RIC 10a, Cohen 4
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Roman Pupienus SestertiusPupienus AE Sestertius, 238 AD, Rome
Obv: IMP CAES M CLOD PVPIENVS AVG Bust laureate r.
Rev: PAX PVBLICA S C Pax seated l. holding branch and transverse scepter.
RIC-22a.
ScarceTanit
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Roman, Gordian III - 238-244 ADMARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS was born in 225. His grandfather was Gordian I and his uncle was Gordian II. After their failed revolt in 238, Gordian was raised (April, 238) to Caesar under the Senate's co-Augusti, Balbinus and Pupienus. When they were killed in July, 238, Gordian became sole Augustus. His rule was generally thought to be mild and wise, guided by his Praetorian Praefect, Timesitheus. Gordian III married Timesitheus's daughter Tranquillina in 241. Unfortunately, both Timesitheus and Gordian died on campaign against the Sassanians in 243-244. His mysterious death on February 25, 244 possibly was plotted by his successor, Philip I.
The details of this coin may be viewed at http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=102&pos=7jimwho523
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Roman, Pupienus, April - June 238 A.D.MARCVS CLODIVS PUPIENVS MAXIMVS was born about 164. He was a Senator in 238 when the revolt of the Gordians broke out against Maximinus I, and he was one of the Senate's "Committee of Twenty" to oversee the defense of Italy in support of the Gordians. When the Gordians were quickly killed in Africa, the Senate made Pupienus and a Senator named Balbinus co-Augusti. Pupienus was to lead the army and Balbinus was to administrate. Maximinus was soon killed by his own men at Aquileia but discontent in Rome led to the murder of Pupienus by the Praetorian Guard on July 29, 238. This portrait is from a Antonianus (ex-Forum) in my collection (see jimwho523's gallery for actual coin)jimwho523
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The Year of the Six Emperors (And a Caesar) In order from top left to right: Maximinus Thrax, murdered; Maximus Caesar, murdered; Gordian I suicide; Gordian II killed in battle; Pupienus, murdered; Balbinus, murdered; Gordian III, probably murdered but possibly died in battle. Nemonater
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The Year of the Six Emperors Part IIIn order from top left to right: Maximinus Thrax, murdered; Maximus Caesar, murdered; Gordian I suicide; Gordian II killed in battle; Pupienus, murdered; Balbinus, murdered; Gordian III, probably murdered but possibly died in battle.
It's often better to be a peasant!Nemonater
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[1106a] Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D.Silver antoninianus, RIC 84, RSC 109, VF, Rome, 4.101g, 24.0mm, 0o, 241 - 243 A.D. Obverse: IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, radiate draped and cuirassed bust right; Reverse: IOVI STATORI, Jupiter standing facing, head right, thunderbolt in left and scepter in right. Ex FORVM.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Gordian III (238-244 A.D.)
Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University
Relatively few details are known about the five-and-a-half year reign of the teenage emperor Gordian III. Continuity with the Severan era seems to have marked both the policy and personnel of his government. Security along the frontiers remained the most pressing concern, and the young emperor would die while on campaign against the expanding Sassanian empire and its energetic leader, Shapur I.
The future emperor was born in Rome on 20 January 225. His mother was a daughter of the senator Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus (known later to historians as Gordian I). His father was undoubtedly a senator, but the name of his father is today unknown. The father was already dead before the start of the African uprising, involving the boy's grandfather, against the emperor Maximinus Thrax in early 238. At the time of the revolt, Maximinus was in Pannonia leading military campaigns to protect the Danube region. Maximinus' representative in Rome was a loyal Praetorian Prefect, Vitalianus. Gordian I's 13-year-old grandson faced no hardships as a result of the revolt, because Vitalianus was assassinated by agents sent by Gordian I before the African uprising was revealed in Rome.
Senators in Rome quickly acknowledged Gordian I as emperor, but the revolt in Africa was soon suppressed. After the deaths of the boy's grandfather (Gordian I) and uncle (Gordian II) were announced in Rome, probably near the end of April 238, a select group of 20 senators decided upon two of their own, Pupienus and Balbinus, as new emperors who would continue to lead the uprising against Maximinus. Not all senators were pleased with the selections, and they immediately stirred up their clients and dependents to prevent a public proclamation of the new emperors. Pupienus, moreover, had been an unpopular urban prefect, and many ordinary Romans were quite willing to take part in rioting against his accession. The grandson of Gordian I made a perfect focal point to represent the concerns of the critics of Pupienus and Balbinus. The 13-year-old was brought from his home, named Marcus Antonius Gordianus after his grandfather, and proclaimed Caesar and imperial heir by the senate.
After the death of Maximinus at the siege of Aquileia, perhaps in early June 238, conflicts between the two emperors Pupienus and Balbinus, and among the emperors, soldiers and ordinary Romans, came to the fore. Sometime during the summer, soldiers of the Praetorian Guard became unruly during a festival, stormed into the imperial complex on the Palatine, and captured, tortured and killed the emperors. The young Caesar was then proclaimed emperor by both the soldiers and the senate.
Little reliable information is available about the first few years of Gordian III's reign. Pupienus and Balbinus suffered damnatio memoriae, though it is difficult to ascertain how many other members of the senatorial elite (if any) were either dismissed from their posts or executed by the new regime. The families prominent during the Severan dynasty, and even some families prominent under the Antonines, continued to control offices and commands with a teenage emperor on the throne. In 240, an uprising again originated in the province of Africa, with the proconsul Sabinianus proclaimed emperor. Like the uprising of Gordian I in Africa two years earlier, this uprising was quickly suppressed, but unlike the events of 238, the revolt of Sabinianus failed to gain support in other parts of the empire.
In late 240 or early 241, Gordian III appointed Timesitheus as pretorian prefect. Timesitheus, who was of Eastern origin, had a long career in the imperial service as a procurator in provinces ranging from Arabia to Gaul and from Asia to Germany. Timesitheus' proven abilities quickly made him the central figure in Gordian III's government, and the praetorian prefect's authority was enhanced by the marriage of his daughter, Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, to the young emperor in the summer of 241.
Maintaining security along the frontiers remained the emperor's most serious challenge. Difficulties along the Danube continued, but the greater danger was in the East. The aggressive expansion of the renewed Persian empire under the Sassanian emperor Ardashir I continued under his son and successor, Shapur I. The focus of that expansion was in upper Mesopotamia (in what today is southeastern Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq), much of which had been under direct Roman control for more than a generation. Ardashir may already have captured Nisibis and Carrhae during the final months of Maximinus' reign. In 240, the ailing Ardashir seems to have made his son Shapur co-regent. During this year Hatra, the location of Rome's easternmost military garrison, (today in northern Iraq roughly 55 miles south of Mosul), was captured by the Sassanians.
Planning for a massive Roman military counterattack was soon underway. Soldiers travelled from the West during the following year, when Carrhae and Nisibis were retaken, and the Romans won a decisive victory at Resaina. Gordian III joined his army in upper Mesopotamia for campaigning in 243, but during the year the emperor's father-in-law, Timesitheus, died of an illness. The surviving Praetorian Prefect, C. Julius Priscus, convinced the emperor to appoint his brother M. Julius Philippus -- who would succeed Gordian III as the emperor Philip the Arab -- as Timesitheus' successor. The campaign against the Sassanians continued as the Roman army proceeded to march down the Euphrates during the fall and early winter.
Early in 244, the Roman and Sassanian armies met near the city of Misiche (modern Fallujah in Iraq, 40 miles west of Baghdad). 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, indicating instead that Gordian III died near Circesium, along the Euphrates some 250 miles upstream from Peroz-Shapur, and that a cenotaph was built at a location named Zaitha. Philip is universally blamed in these sources for causing Gordian III's death, either directly or by fomenting discontent with the emperor by cutting off the troops' supplies. Philip, who was proclaimed Gordian III's successor by the army, seems to have reported that the 19-year-old emperor died of an illness.
However Gordian III died, it seems unlikely to have been as a direct result of the battle at Misiche/Peroz-Shapur. The emperor's Persian campaigns were promoted within the Roman Empire as a success. Other than the loss of Hatra, the Sassanians gained control over no additional territory as a result of the war, and Shapur did not disturb Roman interests in upper Mesopotamia for nearly eight years. Gordian III was deified after his death, and the positive portrayal his reign received was reinforced by the negative portrayals of his successor, Philip.
Gordian III was a child emperor, but his reign was not perceived as having been burdened by the troubles faced by other young emperors (such as Nero, Commodus and Elagabalus). Competent administrators held important posts, and cultural traditions appear to have been upheld. Gordian III's unlikely accession and seemingly stable reign reveal that child emperors, like modern-day constitutional monarchs, had their advantage: a distance from political decision-making and factionalism that enabled the emperor to be a symbol of unity for the various constituency groups (aristocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, urban residents) in Roman society. The paucity of information about Gordian III's reign makes it difficult to know whether the young emperor truly lived up to such an ideal, but the positive historical tradition about him gives one the suspicion that perhaps he did.
Copyright (C) 2001, Michael L. Meckler
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr. Cleisthenes
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[1106b] Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D. (Nicaea, Bithynia, N.W. Asia Minor)Gordian III, 29 July 238 - 25 February 244 A.D., Nicaea, Bithynia, N.W. Asia Minor. Bronze AE 20, S 3671, SNG Cop 526, VF, Nicaea, Bithynia, 2.950g, 18.8mm, 180o, 238 - 244 A.D. Obverse M ANT GOPDIANOC AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right; Reverse: NIKAI / EWN, two legionary eagles between two standards. Ex FORVM.
De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families
Gordian III (238-244 A.D.)
Michael L. Meckler
Ohio State University
Relatively few details are known about the five-and-a-half year reign of the teenage emperor Gordian III. Continuity with the Severan era seems to have marked both the policy and personnel of his government. Security along the frontiers remained the most pressing concern, and the young emperor would die while on campaign against the expanding Sassanian empire and its energetic leader, Shapur I.
The future emperor was born in Rome on 20 January 225. His mother was a daughter of the senator Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus (known later to historians as Gordian I). His father was undoubtedly a senator, but the name of his father is today unknown. The father was already dead before the start of the African uprising, involving the boy's grandfather, against the emperor Maximinus Thrax in early 238. At the time of the revolt, Maximinus was in Pannonia leading military campaigns to protect the Danube region. Maximinus' representative in Rome was a loyal Praetorian Prefect, Vitalianus. Gordian I's 13-year-old grandson faced no hardships as a result of the revolt, because Vitalianus was assassinated by agents sent by Gordian I before the African uprising was revealed in Rome.
Senators in Rome quickly acknowledged Gordian I as emperor, but the revolt in Africa was soon suppressed. After the deaths of the boy's grandfather (Gordian I) and uncle (Gordian II) were announced in Rome, probably near the end of April 238, a select group of 20 senators decided upon two of their own, Pupienus and Balbinus, as new emperors who would continue to lead the uprising against Maximinus. Not all senators were pleased with the selections, and they immediately stirred up their clients and dependents to prevent a public proclamation of the new emperors. Pupienus, moreover, had been an unpopular urban prefect, and many ordinary Romans were quite willing to take part in rioting against his accession. The grandson of Gordian I made a perfect focal point to represent the concerns of the critics of Pupienus and Balbinus. The 13-year-old was brought from his home, named Marcus Antonius Gordianus after his grandfather, and proclaimed Caesar and imperial heir by the senate.
After the death of Maximinus at the siege of Aquileia, perhaps in early June 238, conflicts between the two emperors Pupienus and Balbinus, and among the emperors, soldiers and ordinary Romans, came to the fore. Sometime during the summer, soldiers of the Praetorian Guard became unruly during a festival, stormed into the imperial complex on the Palatine, and captured, tortured and killed the emperors. The young Caesar was then proclaimed emperor by both the soldiers and the senate.
Little reliable information is available about the first few years of Gordian III's reign. Pupienus and Balbinus suffered damnatio memoriae, though it is difficult to ascertain how many other members of the senatorial elite (if any) were either dismissed from their posts or executed by the new regime. The families prominent during the Severan dynasty, and even some families prominent under the Antonines, continued to control offices and commands with a teenage emperor on the throne. In 240, an uprising again originated in the province of Africa, with the proconsul Sabinianus proclaimed emperor. Like the uprising of Gordian I in Africa two years earlier, this uprising was quickly suppressed, but unlike the events of 238, the revolt of Sabinianus failed to gain support in other parts of the empire.
In late 240 or early 241, Gordian III appointed Timesitheus as pretorian prefect. Timesitheus, who was of Eastern origin, had a long career in the imperial service as a procurator in provinces ranging from Arabia to Gaul and from Asia to Germany. Timesitheus' proven abilities quickly made him the central figure in Gordian III's government, and the praetorian prefect's authority was enhanced by the marriage of his daughter, Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, to the young emperor in the summer of 241.
Maintaining security along the frontiers remained the emperor's most serious challenge. Difficulties along the Danube continued, but the greater danger was in the East. The aggressive expansion of the renewed Persian empire under the Sassanian emperor Ardashir I continued under his son and successor, Shapur I. The focus of that expansion was in upper Mesopotamia (in what today is southeastern Turkey, northern Syria and northern Iraq), much of which had been under direct Roman control for more than a generation. Ardashir may already have captured Nisibis and Carrhae during the final months of Maximinus' reign. In 240, the ailing Ardashir seems to have made his son Shapur co-regent. During this year Hatra, the location of Rome's easternmost military garrison, (today in northern Iraq roughly 55 miles south of Mosul), was captured by the Sassanians.
Planning for a massive Roman military counterattack was soon underway. Soldiers travelled from the West during the following year, when Carrhae and Nisibis were retaken, and the Romans won a decisive victory at Resaina. Gordian III joined his army in upper Mesopotamia for campaigning in 243, but during the year the emperor's father-in-law, Timesitheus, died of an illness. The surviving Praetorian Prefect, C. Julius Priscus, convinced the emperor to appoint his brother M. Julius Philippus -- who would succeed Gordian III as the emperor Philip the Arab -- as Timesitheus' successor. The campaign against the Sassanians continued as the Roman army proceeded to march down the Euphrates during the fall and early winter.
Early in 244, the Roman and Sassanian armies met near the city of Misiche (modern Fallujah in Iraq, 40 miles west of Baghdad). 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, indicating instead that Gordian III died near Circesium, along the Euphrates some 250 miles upstream from Peroz-Shapur, and that a cenotaph was built at a location named Zaitha. Philip is universally blamed in these sources for causing Gordian III's death, either directly or by fomenting discontent with the emperor by cutting off the troops' supplies. Philip, who was proclaimed Gordian III's successor by the army, seems to have reported that the 19-year-old emperor died of an illness.
However Gordian III died, it seems unlikely to have been as a direct result of the battle at Misiche/Peroz-Shapur. The emperor's Persian campaigns were promoted within the Roman Empire as a success. Other than the loss of Hatra, the Sassanians gained control over no additional territory as a result of the war, and Shapur did not disturb Roman interests in upper Mesopotamia for nearly eight years. Gordian III was deified after his death, and the positive portrayal his reign received was reinforced by the negative portrayals of his successor, Philip.
Gordian III was a child emperor, but his reign was not perceived as having been burdened by the troubles faced by other young emperors (such as Nero, Commodus and Elagabalus). Competent administrators held important posts, and cultural traditions appear to have been upheld. Gordian III's unlikely accession and seemingly stable reign reveal that child emperors, like modern-day constitutional monarchs, had their advantage: a distance from political decision-making and factionalism that enabled the emperor to be a symbol of unity for the various constituency groups (aristocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, urban residents) in Roman society. The paucity of information about Gordian III's reign makes it difficult to know whether the young emperor truly lived up to such an ideal, but the positive historical tradition about him gives one the suspicion that perhaps he did.
Copyright (C) 2001, Michael L. Meckler
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.
Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr. Cleisthenes
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