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Image search results - "Vandals"
157923.jpg


Justinian I. AD 527-565. Rome
Denarius AE

8mm., 1,60g.

Justinian monogram / Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.

fine

DOC 372 (Uncertain mint; nummus); Morello 19/1 (Ravenna[?]; 2½ nummi); MIBE 94; SB 340 (Uncertain mint; nummus); BMC Vandals 140 (Vandalic).
Quant.Geek
JUSTINIAN_I_HALF-SIILIQUA.JPG
JUSTINIAN I, AR Siliqua or Half-Siliqua, struck 537 - 552 at CarthageObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS P P AV. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: Monogram, cross above, S below, within circle, all encircled by wreath. (SBCV Monogram 3)

Diameter: 13mm | Weight: 1.17gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 254 (Siliqua) | Sommer 4.119
Scratched obverse. Not in DOC.
RARE

The monogram on the reverse of this coin was originally interpreted as being that of the Ostrogothic queen Mathasunta (cf. BMC 80, 1). However, a later re-interpretation by Wolfgang Hahn (MIB) attributed this issue as being a regular African Imperial issue of Justinian, and this is the attribution that was adopted by SBCV.

On September the 15th 533 Justinian's army, led by Belisarius, entered the city of Carthage and brought it back into the Roman Empire after 98 years of Vandal rule. In March 534 the Vandal king Gelimer surrendered to Belisarius ending the Vandal kingdom and returning the African provinces to the empire. Large numbers of captured Vandals were transported to Constantinople and in April Belisarius returned there too and was permitted by Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years.
*Alex
Vandals_-__Thrasamund,_496-523_AD,_N_Africa.JPG
VANDALS, Thrasamund. 496-523.
Æ Nummus (10mm, 0.40 g)
Contemporary Vandalic imitation. Carthage mint.
Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Victory standing left, holding wreath and palm
MEC 1, 31-2; BMC Vandals 37-41
Ardatirion
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118a. Valentinian IIIWestern Augustus 425-455.
In 424, at age 5 he was named Caesar. Son of Constantius III. Supported by Theodosius II over Johannes. Lost Africa to Vandals and also lost most of Gaul and Spain. Very weak ruler. He killed by his own hand Aetius, his best general. Six months later, Valentinian was killed by 2 of his own guards.

Coin: AE4. 12mm, 1.5 g. 425-455 AD. Rome mint. Obv: DN VALENTINI(ANVS PF AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VICTOR-(IA AVGG), Victory walking left, holding wreath and palm branch. Mintmark off flan.
lawrence c
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129a. Leo IEastern Augustus 7 February 457 – 18 January 474

Thracian of humble origins. He was only a tribune when selected for emperor by Aspar, the magister militum. Shifted much of the political power at court from Germans to Isaurians. Many military difficulties with Vandals and Huns. Died at age 73.

Coin: AE2. 19.3mm, 4.16 g. Constantinople, AD 457-474. Obv: DN LEO P-RPET AVG, pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right. Rev: SALVS RPVRLICA, emperor standing front, looking right, holding labarum and globe, captive kneeling left at his side. Mintmark CON. RIC 660; Sear 21433.
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132a. BasiliscusEastern Augustus 475-476

As a military commander before becoming emperor, he led a disastrous campaign against the Vandals, with some suspicions that he sold out the Roman side. Despite this, when Zeno was driven out of power, the Senate named Basiliscus as Augustus. Basiliscus quickly alienated everyone in power, and Zeno was reinstalled as emperor. Basiliscus was exiled and allowed to die of starvation.

AV Solidus (20.5mm, 4.34 g, 6h). Constantinople mint. Pearl-diademed, helmeted, and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, holding spear over shoulder and shield / Victory standing left, holding long jeweled cross; star to right; CONOB. RIC X 1003; Depeyrot 101/1. CNG Auction 552, Lot 636.
lawrence c
MarcAurelSestSalus.jpg
1bj Marcus Aurelius161-180

Sestertius

Laureate head, right, IMP CAES M AVREL ANTONINVS AVG PM
Salus stg, SALVTI AVGVSTOR TR P XVII COS III SC

RIC 843

The Historia Augusta relates: He was reared under the eye of Hadrian, who called him Verissimus. . . . And so he was adopted in his eighteenth year, and at the instance of Hadrian exception was made for his age and he was appointed quaestor for the year of the second consulship of Antoninus [Pius], now his father. . . . After Hadrian's death, Pius immediately got his wife to ask Marcus if he would break off his betrothal to the daughter of Lucius Commodus and marry their own daughter Faustina (whom Hadrian had wanted to marry Commodus' son, even though he was badly matched in age). After thinking the matter over, Marcus replied he was willing. And when this was done, Pius designated him as his colleague in the consulship, though he was still only quaestor, gave him the title of Caesar. . . .

When Antoninus Pius saw that the end of his life was drawing near, having summoned his friends and prefects, he commended Marcus to them all and formally named him as his successor in the empire. . . . Being forced by the senate to assume the government of the state after the death of the Deified Pius, Marcus made his brother his colleague in the empire, giving him the name Lucius Aurelius Verus Commodus and bestowing on him the titles Caesar and Augustus.

Eutropius summarizes: They carried on a war against the Parthians, who then rebelled for the first time since their subjugation by Trajan. Verus Antoninus went out to conduct that war, and, remaining at Antioch and about Armenia, effected many important achievements by the agency of his generals; he took Seleucia, the most eminent city of Assyria, with forty thousand prisoners; he brought off materials for a triumph over the Parthians, and celebrated it in conjunction with his brother, who was also his father-in-law. He died in Venetia. . . . After him MARCUS ANTONINUS held the government alone, a man whom any one may more easily admire than sufficiently commend. He was, from his earliest years, of a most tranquil disposition; so that even in his infancy he changed countenance neither for joy nor for sorrow. He was devoted to the Stoic philosophy, and was himself a philosopher, not only in his way of life, but in learning. . . .

Under his rule affairs were successfully conducted against the Germans. He himself carried on one war with the Marcomanni, but this was greater than any in the memory of man,so that it is compared to the Punic wars. . . . Having persevered, therefore, with the greatest labour and patience, for three whole years at Carnuntum,14 he brought the Marcomannic war to an end; a war which the Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians, Suevi, and all the barbarians in that quarter, had joined with the Marcomanni in raising; he killed several thousand men, and, having delivered the Pannonians from slavery, triumphed a second time at Rome with his son Commodus Antoninus, whom he had previously made Caesar. . . . Having, then, rendered the state happy, both by his excellent management and gentleness of disposition, he died in the eighteenth year of his reign and the sixty-first of his life, and was enrolled among the gods, all unanimously voting that such honour should be paid him.
3 commentsBlindado
divoclaudio_RIC266.jpg
268-270 AD - CLAUDIUS II (GOTHICUS) AE antoninianusobv: DIVO CLAVDIO (radiate head right)
rev: CONSECRATIO (eagle standing front, wings spread, head right)
ref: RIC Vi 266 (C), Cohen 43
mint: Rome
3.36gms, 19mm

Claudius II issued after his death by Quintillus and later emperors.
History: Late in 269 Claudius was preparing to go to war against the german Vandals tribe, who were raiding in Pannonia. Next year the pannonian legions led by Claudius defeated the Vandals, but the Emperor fell victim to an epidemic of plague and died in Sirmium early in August of 270. The Senate immediately deified Claudius as "Divus Claudius Gothicus", making him one of the few Roman emperors of the period to be so honored.
berserker
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276-282 AD - PROBUS AE antoninianus obv: IMP.PRO-BVS.AVG (radiate & cuirassed bust right) (bust type F)
rev: VICTOR-IA.GERM (trophy between two captives) / R*A (5th emission)
ref: RIC220v, C.773
mint: Rome, struck 280 AD
2.97gms, 22mm
Probus defeats the Alemanni, Burgundians, and Vandals in 278 on the Rhine.
berserker
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314. Claudius IIMarcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus (May 10, 213/214 - January, 270), more often referred to as Claudius II, ruled the Roman Empire for less than two years (268 - 270), but during that brief time, he was so successful and beloved by the people of Rome that he attained divine status.

His origin is uncertain. Claudius was either from Syrmia (Sirmium; in Pannonia Inferior) or from Dardania (in Moesia Superior). Claudius was the commander of the Roman army that defeated decisively the Goths at the battle of Naissus, in September 268; in the same month, he attained the throne, amid charges, never proven, that he murdered his predecessor Gallienus. However, he soon proved to be less than bloodthirsty, as he asked the Roman Senate to spare the lives of Gallienus' family and supporters. He was less magnanimous toward Rome's enemies, however, and it was to this that he owed his popularity.

Claudius, like Maximinus Thrax before him, was of barbarian birth. After an interlude of failed aristocratic Roman emperors since Maximinus's death, Claudius was the first in a series of tough soldier-emperors who would eventually restore the Empire from the Crisis of the third century.

At the time of his accession, the Roman Empire was in serious danger from several incursions, both within and outside its borders. The most pressing of these was an invasion of Illyricum and Pannonia by the Goths. Not long after being named emperor (or just prior to Gallienus' death, depending on the source), he won his greatest victory, and one of the greatest in the history of Roman arms.

At the Battle of Naissus, Claudius and his legions routed a huge Gothic army. Together with his cavalry commander, the future Emperor Aurelian, the Romans took thousands of prisoners, destroyed the Gothic cavalry as a force and stormed their chariot laager (a circular alignment of battle-wagons long favored by the Goths). The victory earned Claudius his surname of "Gothicus" (conqueror of the Goths), and that is how he is known to this day. More importantly, the Goths were soon driven back across the Danube River, and a century passed before they again posed a serious threat to the empire.

While this was going on, the Germanic tribe known as the Alamanni had crossed the Alps and attacked the empire. Claudius responded quickly and swiftly, routing the Alamanni at the Battle of Lake Benacus in the late fall of 268, a few months after the battle of Naissus. He then turned on the "Gallic Empire", ruled by a pretender for the past 15 years and encompassing Britain, Gaul and Spain. He won several victories and soon regained control of Spain and the Rhone river valley of Gaul. This set the stage for the ultimate destruction of the Gallic Empire under Aurelian.

However, Claudius did not live long enough to fulfill his goal of reuniting all the lost territories of the empire. Late in 269 he was preparing to go to war against the Vandals, who were raiding in Pannonia. However, he fell victim to an epidemic of plague and died early in January of 270. Before his death, he is thought to have named Aurelian as his successor, although Claudius' brother Quintillus briefly seized power.

The Senate immediately deified Claudius as "Divus Claudius Gothicus", making him one of the few Roman emperors of the period to be so honored.

Historia Augusta reports Claudius and Quintillus having another brother named Crispus and through him a niece. Said niece Claudia reportedly married Eutropius and was mother to Constantius Chlorus. Historians however suspect this account to be a genealogical fabrication by Constantine the Great.

Claudius II Gothicus AE Antoninianus. Cyzicus mint. IMP CLAVDIVS P F AVG, radiate, draped bust right / FORTUNA REDUX, Fortuna standing left with rudder & cornucopiae. RIC 234, Cohen 88.
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515b. Magnus MaximusA Spaniard, Maximus was proclaimed emperor by his troops in 383, while serving with the army in Britain. Later legend made him King of the Britons; he handed the throne over to Caradocus when he went to Gaul to pursue his imperial ambitions.

Following his destruction of Gaul, Maximus went out to meet his main opponent, Gratian, who he defeated near Paris. Gratian, after fleeing, was killed at Lyon on August 25, 383. Soon after, Maximus managed to force Valentinian II out of Rome after which he fled to Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor. Maximus made his capital at Augusta Treverorum (Treves, Trier) in Gaul. He became a popular emperor, although also a stern persecutor of heretics.

Theodosius I and Valentinian II campaigned against Magnus Maximus in July-August 388. Maximus was defeated in the Battle of the Save, near Emona, and retreated to Aquileia. Andragathius, magister equitum of Maximus and killer of Gratian, was defeated near Siscia, his brother Marcellinus again at Poetovio. Maximus surrendered in Aquileia and although pleaded for mercy was executed. However, his wife and two daughters were spared. Maximus' son, Flavius Victor, was defeated and executed by Valentinian's magister peditum Arbogast in the fall of the same year.

What happened to his family is not related, although it is clear that they survived and that his descendants continued to occupy influential posts. We encounter a possible daughter of Magnus Maximus, Sevira, on the Pillar of Eliseg, an early medieval inscribed stone in Wales which claims her marriage to Vortigern, king of the Britons. Another daughter was possibly married to Ennodius, proconsul Africae (395). Their grandson was Petronius Maximus, who was another ill-fated emperor, ruling in Rome for but 77 days before he was stoned to death while fleeing from the Vandals on May 24, 455. Other descendants included Anicius Olybrius, emperor in 472, but also several consuls and bishops such as St. Magnus Felix Ennodius (Bishop of Pavia c. 514-21).

Magnus Maximus AE-4

Obv: MM right, DN MAG MAXIMVS PF AVG; Reverse: SPES ROMANORVM, campgate with two turrets and star above. Coin is nice VF for this small issue.
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516. HonoriusFlavius Honorius (September 9, 384–August 15, 423) was Emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. He was the younger son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Eastern emperor Arcadius.

Honorius was declared Augustus in 393 by his father and became western emperor at the age of 10, following his father's death in January 395. For the first part of his reign he depended on the military leadership of the Vandal general Stilicho. To strengthen his bonds to the young emperor, Stilicho married his daughter Maria to him.

At first Honorius based his capital in Milan, but when the Visigoths entered Italy in 402 he moved his capital to the coastal city of Ravenna, which was protected by a ring of marshes and strong fortifications. While the new capital was easier to defend, it was poorly situated to allow Roman forces to protect central Italy from the barbarian incursions.

The most notable event of his reign was the assault and sack of Rome on August 24, 410 by the Visigoths under Alaric.

The city had been under Visigothic siege since shortly after Stilicho's deposition and execution in the summer of 408. Lacking a strong general to control the by-now mostly barbarian Roman Army, Honorius could do little to attack Alaric's forces directly, and apparently adopted the only strategy he could do in the situation: wait passively to Visigoths to grow weary and spend the time marshalling what forces he could. Unfortunately, this course of action appeared to be the product of Honorius' indecisive character and he suffered much criticism for it both from contemporaries and later historians.

Whether this plan could have worked is perhaps debatable, especially since he deprived himself of several skillful officers by only promoting Catholics to the top military positions. In any case it was overtaken by events. Stricken by starvation, somebody opened Rome's defenses to Alaric and the Goths poured in. The city had not been under the control of a foreign force since an invasion of Gallic Celts some seven centuries before. The victorious Visigoths did untold damage to the city and the shock of this event reverberated from Britain to Jerusalem, and inspired Augustine to write his magnum opus, The City of God.

The year 410 also saw Honorius reply to a British plea for assistance against local barbarian incursions. Preoccupied with the Visigoths and lacking any real capabilities to assist the distant province, Honorius told the Britons to defend themselves as best they could.

There is a story (which Gibbon disbelieved) that when he heard the news that Rome had "perished", Honorius was initially shocked; thinking the news was in reference to a favorite chicken he had named "Roma", he recalled in disbelief that the bird was just recently feeding out of his hand. It was then explained to him that the Rome in question was the city.

His reign of twenty-eight years was one of the most disastrous in the Roman annals. Honorius' supposed weakness and timidity in the face of internal dissension and the attacks of the Visigoths and Vandals is often said to have contributed to the rapid disintegration of the western half of the empire.



RIC X Antioch 153
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602a. Valentinian IIIIn the early years of his reign, Valentinian was overshadowed by his mother. After his marriage in 437, moreover, much of the real authority lay in the hands of the Patrician and Master of Soldiers Aetius. Nor does Valentinian seem to have had much of an aptitude for rule. He is described as spoiled, pleasure-loving, and influenced by sorcerers and astrologers. He divided his time primarily between Rome and Ravenna. Like his mother, Valentinian was devoted to religion. He contributed to churches of St. Laurence in both Rome and Ravenna. He also oversaw the accumulation of ecclesiastical authority in the hands of the bishop of Rome as he granted ever greater authority and prestige to pope Leo the Great (440-461) in particular.

Valentinian's reign saw the continued dissolution of the western empire. By 439, nearly all of North Africa was effectively lost to the Vandals; Valentinian did attempt to neutralize that threat by betrothing his sister Placidia to the Vandal prince Huneric. In Spain, the Suevi controlled the northwest, and much of Gaul was to all intents and purposes controlled by groups of Visigoths, Burgundians, Franks, and Alans. In 454, Valentinian murdered his supreme general Aetius, presumably in an attempt to rule in his own right. But in the next year, he himself was murdered by two members of his bodyguard, ex-partisans of Aetius.

Although Valentinian was ineffectual as a ruler, his legitimate status and connection to the old ruling dynasty provided a last vestige of unity for the increasingly fragmented Roman empire. After his death, the decay of the west accelerated. The different regions of the west went their own way, and the last several western emperors, the so-called "Shadow" or "Puppet" Emperors, not only were usually overshadowed by one barbarian general or other, but also were limited primarily to Italy.
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603. MarcianMarcian was born in Thrace or Illyria. He spent his early life as an obscure soldier. He subsequently served for nineteen years under Ardaburius and Aspar, and took part in the wars against the Persians and Vandals. In 431, Marcian was taken prisoner by the Vandals in the fighting near Hippo Regius; brought before the Vandal king Geiseric, he was released on his oath never to take up arms against the Vandals.

Through the influence of these generals he became a captain of the guards, and was later raised to the rank of tribune and senator. On the death of Theodosius II he was chosen as consort by the latter's sister and successor, Pulcheria, and called upon to govern an empire greatly humbled and impoverished by the ravages of the Huns.

Upon becoming Emperor, Marcian repudiated the embarrassing payments of tribute to Attila the Hun, which the latter had been accustomed to receiving from Theodosius in order to refrain from attacks on the eastern empire. Aware that he could never capture the eastern capital of Constantinople, Attila turned to the west and waged his famous campaigns in Gaul 451 and Italy (452) while leaving Marcian's dominions alone.

He reformed the finances, checked extravagance, and repopulated the devastated districts. He repelled attacks upon Syria and Egypt (452), and quelled disturbances on the Armenian frontier (456). The other notable event of his reign is the Council of Chalcedon (451), in which Marcian endeavoured to mediate between the rival schools of theology.

Marcian generally ignored the affairs of the western Roman Empire, leaving that tottering half of the empire to its fate. He did nothing to aid the west during Attila's campaigns, and, living up to his promise, ignored the depredations of Geiseric even when the Vandals sacked Rome in 455. It has recently been argued, however, that Marcian was more actively involved in aiding the western Empire than historians had previously believed and that Marcian's fingerprints can be discerned in the events leading up to, and including, Attila's death. (See Michael A. Babcock, "The Night Attila Died: Solving the Murder of Attila the Hun," Berkley Books, 2005.)

Shortly before Attila's death in 453, conflict had begun again between him and Marcian. However, the powerful Hun king died before all-out war broke out. In a dream, Marcian claimed he saw Attila's bow broken before him, and a few days later, he got word that his great enemy was dead.

Marcian died in 457 of disease, possibly gangrene contracted during a long religious journey.

Despite his short reign and his writing off of the west Marcian is considered one of the best of the early "Byzantine" emperors. The Eastern Orthodox Church recognizes him and his wife Pulcheria as saints, with their feast day on February 17.

Marcian AE4.9mm (1.30 grams) D N MARCIANVS P F AV, diademed & draped bust right / Monogram of Marcian inside wreath, * above
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604. Leo IImperator Caesar Flavius Valerius Leo Augustus or Leo I of the Byzantine Empire (401–474), reigned from 457 to 474, also known as Leo the Thracian, was the last of a series of emperors placed on the throne by Aspar, the Alan serving as commander-in-chief of the army. His coronation as emperor on February 7, 457, was the first known to involve the Patriarch of Constantinople. Leo I made an alliance with the Isaurians and was thus able to eliminate Aspar. The price of the alliance was the marriage of Leo's daughter to Tarasicodissa, leader of the Isaurians who, as Zeno, became emperor in 474.

During Leo's reign, the Balkans were ravaged time and again by the West Goths and the Huns. However, these attackers were unable to take Constantinople thanks to the walls which had been rebuilt and reinforced in the reign of Theodosius II and against which they possessed no suitable siege engines.

Leo's reign was also noteworthy for his influence in the Western Roman Empire, marked by his appointment of Anthemius as Western Roman Emperor in 467. He attempted to build on this political achievement with an expedition against the Vandals in 468, which was defeated due to the treachery and incompetence of Leo's brother-in-law Basiliscus. This disaster drained the Empire of men and money.

Leo's greatest influence in the West was largely inadvertent and at second-hand: the great Goth king Theodoric the Great was raised at the Leo's court in Constantinople, where he was steeped in Roman government and military tactics, which served him well when he returned after Leo's death to become the Goth ruler of a mixed but largely Romanized people.

Leo also published a New Constitutions or compilation of Law Code[1], Constitution LV concerned Judaism: "JEWS SHALL LIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RITES OF CHRISTIANITY. Those who formerly were invested with Imperial authority promulgated various laws with reference to the Hebrew people, who, once nourished by Divine protection, became renowned, but are now remarkable for the calamities inflicted upon them because of their contumacy towards Christ and God; and these laws, while regulating their mode of life, compelled them to read the Holy Scriptures, and ordered them not to depart from the ceremonies of their worship. They also provided that their children should adhere to their religion, being obliged to do so as well by the ties of blood, as on account of the institution of circumcision. These are the laws which I have already stated were formerly enforced throughout the Empire. But the Most Holy Sovereign from whom We are descended, more concerned than his predecessors for the salvation of the Jews, instead of allowing them (as they did) to obey only their ancient laws, attempted, by the interpretation of prophesies and the conclusions which he drew from them, to convert them to the Christian religion, by means of the vivifying water of baptism. He fully succeeded in his attempts to transform them into new men, according to the doctrine of Christ, and induced them to denounce their ancient doctrines and abandon their religious ceremonies, such as circumcision, the observance of the Sabbath, and all their other rites. But although he, to a certain extent, overcame the obstinacy of the Jews, he was unable to force them to abolish the laws which permitted them to live in accordance with their ancient customs. Therefore We, desiring to accomplish what Our Father failed to effect, do hereby annul all the old laws enacted with reference to the Hebrews, and We order that they shall not dare to live in any other manner than in accordance with the rules established by the pure and salutary Christian Faith. And if anyone of them should be proved to, have neglected to observe the ceremonies of the Christian religion, and to have returned to his former practices, he shall pay the penalty prescribed by the law for apostates."

Leo died of dysentery at the age of 73 on January 18, 474.

Bronze AE4, RIC 671, S 4340 var, VG, 1.17g, 10.3mm, 180o, Alexandria mint, obverse D N LEO P F AVG (or similar), pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right; reverse Lion standing left, head right, cross above, ALEA in ex; very rare (R3); ex Forum
ecoli
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Anonymous Vandalic Period IssueAnonymous Vandalic Period Issue, AE4, 5th Century AD, North Africa
Legend represented by strokes
Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Legend represented by strokes
Victory advancing left, wreath upward in right hand, palm in left
10mm x 11mm, 0.69g (*and the second one is 10mm, 0.71g)
Wroth, Coins of the Vandals, Victory type 21-31, Pl. III, 10
9/10mm .54g
casata137ec
BCC_B21_Justin_I_Monogram.jpg
BCC B21x Justin IByzantine Period
Justin I 518-527CE
Obv: Diademed bust right.
Rev: Monogram of Justin I
within wreath or circle.
AE 8mm 0.63gm. Axis:240
Surface find, Caesarea M. 1974.
Hahn 34, BMC Vandals 135-8
Mint of Constantinople
v-drome
BCC_B23_Justin_I_Monogram.jpg
BCC B23 Justin IByzantine Period
Justin I 518-527CE
Obv: Diademed bust right.
Rev: Monogram of Justin I
within wreath or circle.
AE 8mm 0.64gm. Axis:30
Surface find, Caesarea M. 1977.
Hahn 34, BMC Vandals 135-8
Mint of Constantinople
v-drome
BCC_B25_Gelimer_Monogram.jpg
BCC B25 GelimerByzantine Period
Gelimer 530-534CE
Obv: [GEIL] Bust right,
traces of inscription.
Rev: Monogram of Gelimer
within wreath.
AE 9.75mm 0.88gm. Axis:0
BMC Vandals 4-6
Nummus. Carthage Mint
Surface find, Caesarea M. 1974.
Vandalic coinage has frequently
been found alongside late Roman
and early Byzantine coins in
excavations at Caesarea Maritima.
v-drome
BCC_B26_Baduila.jpg
BCC B26 BaduilaByzantine Period
Baduila, Ostrogoths 541-552CE
In the name of Anastasius
Obv:[DN ANA STA] Diad, draped
bust right, traces of inscription.
Rev:DN REX star above,
within wreath.
AE 10mm 1.0gm. Axis:0
BMC Vandals p.90-28 Ticinum
Surface find, Caesarea M. 1975.
v-drome
BCC_LR86_Honorius_Vandalic_Pseudo-Imperial.jpg
BCC LR86 Honorius Vandalic Pseudo-ImperialLate Roman-Pseudo Imperial
Vandals, Carthage ca. 440-490 CE
Contemporary copy of a Late Roman
Centenionalis of Honorius, (cf. RIC X 61).
Obv: DN HON?[ORIVS PF AVG]
Diad, draped bust right, crudely
struck on severely undersize flan.
Rev:[VIRTVS] EXE[RCITI] or similar,
mostly off-flan. Victory flying to
left, crowning Honorius, standing to
right. AE 12.4mm 1.04gm. Axis:30
Not listed in BMC Vandals.
Surface find, Caesarea Maritima, 1970'S
J. Berlin Caesarea Collection
v-drome
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Belt Plate - Large Hexagonal Shield-shapedI have not been able to exactly identify this heavy bronze plate.

It was fastened with four rivets, three of which remain.

The shape is similar to that of a 1st to 2nd century Germanic shield.

Miniature hexagonal shields, though made of thinner metal, have been found in Poland in early Przeworsk culture graves (1st century AD). The early Przeworsk culture is associated with the Vandals.
Reference: JRMES 16, page 128.
SC
Sear-281.jpg
Byzantine Empire: Justinian I (527-565) Æ Nummus, Carthage (Sear 281; DOC 309; MIBE 193)Obv: Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust of Justinian I to right
Rev: Large A
Dim: 10 mm, 0.53 g, 4 h

This issue was struck shortly after Belisarius defeated Gelimer, the last king of the Vandals, which reunited the African provinces with the Empire.
Quant.Geek
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EB0907 VandalsObverse:
Reverse:
References:
Diameter: 8mm, Weight: 0.79g.
EB
gelimer.jpg
gelimerGelimer, (530-534 AD)

Obverse: KART HAGO - Soldier facing, holding spear in left hand r.
Reverse: Horse's head, with bridle, facing left, XXI in exergue
Mint : Carthage
Date : 530-534 AD
Reference : MIB I-23, MEC-45
Grade : VF
Weight : 6.74g
Denom: Nummi
Metal : Bronze

Comments: The last king of the Vandals in Africa, who lost his kingdom to General Belisarius who was sent to Africa in 533 by Justinian the Great to return Africa to the Roman empire and avenge the imprisonment and execution of Huneric, a Romanized Vandal king who had been overthrown by Gelimer. 22.9 mm. From the Garth R. Drewry Collection. Ex Stack's 3-5 May 1984, lot 183 Ex:Stack's 05/84, Lot 1832 ex CNG 67, Lot: 1830.
3 commentsPeattie
croix 1.jpg
Hilderic (523-530) - AE4[...] P.F. [AVG.] ?
Cross in wreath

Vandalic coin minted in Carthage
Ginolerhino
Hilderic_ab.jpg
Hilderic - Carthage, Vandal kingdomHilderic (460s-533), king of the Vandals and Alans (523-530). Æ nummus (8 mm, 0.62 g), Carthage. Obverse: diademed head right, [HILD]IRIX. Reverse: cross in wreath. Grierson/Blackburn 24-5.1 commentsJan
Goodacre_collection_John_III_Ducas_Vatatzes_AE_Tetarteron_Ex_CNG_504_282021_Nov_17292C_Lot_556.jpg
John Ducas Vatatzes (Nicaea) AE Tetarteron, Ex-Goodacre Collection & Plate Coin, possibly specimen illustrated in de Saulcy (RN, 1842) & Sabatier (1862)Photo credit: CNG
Byzantine / Empire of Nicaea. John III Ducas-Vatatzes (Emperor of Nicaea, 1222-1254). AE Tetarteron (20mm, 3.29 g, 6h). Magnesia mint.
Refs:DOC 56; SB 2114; see Goodacre refs. below.
Provenance:: Ex Hugh George Goodacre (1865-1952) Collection;
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford University (Goodacre Loan by Mrs. N.J. Goodacre, housed at the Heberden Coin Room), c. 1952-1986;
Illustrated in: [1] Hugh George Goodacre (1933/1957/1965 [part III]) A Handbook of Coinage in the Byzantine Empire: p. 312, No. 3; [2] (1931) “Notes on Some Rare Byzantine Coins,” Numismatic Chronicle 11 (43): p. 157, No. 7 & Plate XI, No. 11; [3] (1938) “The Flat Bronze Coinage of Nicaea,” Numismatic Chronicle 18: p. 159, No. 1A (citing Sabatier LXIV, 12).

Uncertain but probably the following specimen:
Ex Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg, Gotha, and collection of M. Curt de Bose (Curt von Bose, 1808-1884), Leipzig, prior to 1842;
Illustrated in: [1] de Saulcy’s (1842) essay in Revue Numismatique: Pl. XIX No. 7; [2] Justine Sabatier (1862), with Henry Cohen, ill. by Leon Dardel, Description générale des monnaies byzantines frappées sous les empereurs d'Orient…, vol II: p. 293 & Pl. LXIV, fig. 12; [3] cited in (not illustrated): Wroth’s BMC Vandals (p. 219, note 1).

All illustrations Imgur album: LINK. On tracing provenances & "plate coins" from line-drawings: Silvia Hurter (2008) “Torremuzza’s SEGESTANORVM,” AJN 20: pp. 113-117, Pl. 37-40 (on JSTOR, LINK).
Curtis JJ
Justinian_I_One_Nummus.JPG
JUSTINIAN I, AE Nummus, struck 534 - 539 at CarthageObverse: D N IVSTINIANVS --. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right..
Reverse: No legend. Large within circle.
Diameter: 10mm | Weight: 0.99gms | Die Axis: 6
SBCV: 281 | DOC: 309.1
SCARCE

In March, 534, the Vandal king Gelimer surrendered to the Byzantine general Belisarius ending the Vandal kingdom and returning the African provinces to the empire.
Large numbers of captured Vandals were transported to Constantinple and in April Belisarius returned to Constantinople and left a small force in Africa under general Solomon to complete the subjugation of the African provinces.
During the Summer, Belisarius was permitted by Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years.
In the Spring of 536 Belisarius had to return to Carthage with 1000 men to suppress a revolt against general Solomon. The city was besieged by 9000 rebels, including many Vandals, led by a disaffected Byzantine soldier called Stotzas, but Belisarius defeated them at the Battle of the River Bagradas and Stotzas fled with many of his followers into Numidia. The following year (537), having regrouped, Stotzas made another attempt at taking control of north Africa. This time though the Byzantines under general Germanus utterly crushed the rebels at the Battle of Scalas Veteres, 6 kilometres south of Carthage. Stotzas though, with only a handful of rebels, managed to flee to Mauretania.

*Alex
539_-_540_JUSTINIAN_I_Nummus_of_Carthage.JPG
JUSTINIAN I, AE Nummus, struck 539 - 540 at CarthageObverse: Legend illegible. Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Justinian I facing right.
Reverse: VOT XIII (regnal year 13) in two lines within circle, all within wreath.
Diameter: 10mm | Weight: 0.9gms | Die Axis: 9
SBCV: 278 | DOC: 302
RARE

The use of VOTA inscriptions as yearly dates on these coins would seem to indicate that the original significance of the inscription had been completely forgotten during the period that Carthage was under Vandal rule. Now classed as Imperial issues by DOC and SBCV, these coins were, at the beginning of the 20th century, originally assigned to the Vandals by Warwick William Wroth FSA. Wroth was Senior Assistant Keeper of Coins and Medals in the British Museum as well as a numismatist and a biographer. His chief contributions to the literature of his particular department of the British Museum included a "Catalogue of the Greek Coins," which appeared in 1903, and the "Catalogue of the Imperial Byzantine Coins in the British Museum" which appeared in 1906. Wroth died on the 26th of September, 1911 at the age of 53.

In March, 534, the Vandal king Gelimer surrendered to the Byzantine general Belisarius ending the Vandal kingdom and returning the African provinces to the empire.
Large numbers of captured Vandals were transported to Constantinple and in April Belisarius returned to Constantinople and left a small force in Africa under general Solomon to complete the subjugation of the African provinces.
During the Summer, Belisarius was permitted by Justinian I to celebrate a triumph, the first non-imperial triumph for over 500 years.

2 comments*Alex
Leo_I.jpg
Leo I Vandals imitationAE 10.39mm 1.2 g, 457-474 AD
OBV :: Unknown Legend; pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
REV :: No legend; Emperor standing facing, holding scepter left hand on the head of a captive at foot
EX :: none
REF :: BMC Vandals 64 (Pl. III, 32); Arslan ("Goti..") 8; Travaglini 16.
From uncleaned lot 2019

Attributed to Vandals imitating official issue
Johnny
MarcAurelSestDanube.jpg
MAFJ9 Away to WarMarcus Aurelius

Sestertius
170

Laureate head, right, M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXIIII
Aurelius on horse right holding spear, soldier in front with spear and shield, three soldiers behind him with standards, COS III PROFECTIO AVG S C

RIC 977

Marcus twice between 168 and 174 had to command armies in Germany and Pannonia, which took him to a rough, often cold and dark frontier not fit for other members of the imperial family. A RAND study of US military personnel subjected to repeated and lengthy deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq concluded, "Researchers found that cumulative months of deployment matter. More cumulative months of deployment increased the risk of divorce among military couples, regardless of when the couple married or when the deployment occurred. The risk of divorce was higher for hostile deployments than for non-hostile deployments. . . ." People are people, and similar strains appear to have affected Marcus and Faustina, and may have contributed to Commodus' personal development into a monster in the absence of his father.

Marcus' generals held the Marcommani at bay during the Parthian war, but on Lucius' return, according to the Historia Augusta, "[B]oth the emperors [in 68] set forth, clad in military cloak. Both the Victuali and Marcomanni were throwing everything into disorder, and other peoples as well, who had taken flight under pressure from the more distant barbarians, were going to make war unless they were allowed in. The emperors' departure produced no small gain, for, when they had come as far as Aquileia, most of the kings withdrew, together with their peoples, and put to death those responsible for the disturbances. . . . Marcus. . . believed that the barbarians were feigning both their retreat and other measures purporting to offer military security--to avoid being crushed by the weight of such great preparations; and he held they must press on. Finally, having crossed the Alps, they proceeded a considerable distance and settled everything pertinent to the defense of Italy and Illyricum." Lucius died during the return to Rome in 169, and Marcus became the sole ruler of the empire.

The Marcommani nevertheless invaded Italy in 170 and besieged Aquileia, and Marcus returned to war, planning an offensive on the Danube. Eutropius recorded:

Having persevered, therefore, with the greatest labour and patience, for three whole years at Carnuntum, he brought the Marcomannic war to an end; a war which the Quadi, Vandals, Sarmatians, Suevi, and all the barbarians in that quarter, had joined with the Marcomanni in raising; he killed several thousand men, and, having delivered the Pannonians from slavery, triumphed a second time at Rome with his son Commodus Antoninus, whom he had previously made Caesar. As he had no money to give his soldiers, in consequence of the treasury having been exhausted for the support of the war, and as he was unwilling to lay any tax on the provinces or the senate, he sold off all his imperial furniture and decorations, by an auction held in the forum of the emperor Trajan, consisting of vessels of gold, cups of crystal and murrha, silk garments belonging to his wife and himself, embroidered with gold, and numbers of jewelled ornaments. This sale was continued through two successive months, and a great quantity of money was raised from it.
1 commentsBlindado
Vandal_4_ab.jpg
Municipal coinage of Carthage - Vandal kingdomVandal kingdom. Æ 12 Nummi (19 mm, 5.01 g). Struck circa 480-523. Obverse: Karthago standing facing, holding three grain ears in each raised hand, all within laurel wreath. Reverse: NXII within laurel wreath. MEC 1, 42; BMC Vandals 9.
Jan
Vandal21_ab.jpg
Municipal coinage of Carthage - Vandal kingdomVandal kingdom. Æ 21 Nummi (24 mm, 9.69 g). Struck circa 480-523. Obverse: Karthago standing facing, holding three grain ears in each raised hand, all within laurel wreath. Reverse: NXXI within laurel wreath. MEC 1, 41; BMC Vandals 8.Jan
Ostrogoth_MEC101_2.jpg
OSTROGOTH INVICTA ROMA A.D. 493- 553Ostrogoths, Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus (24mm 11.3g 12h). Struck during the reigns of Theodoric and Athalaric in Rome, circa AD 493-553. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right / Eagle with raised wings standing left, head right; XL upwards to left; •Δ• in exergue. COI 76b; MEC 101; BMC Vandals 14; MIB I 74a; Demo 42.

CNG Inv. 824397 (November 2008); Gemini XIII (6 April 2017) lot 267; Ex Classical Numismatic Review XLII. 3 (Summer 2017), no. 460205; CNG 117 (May 2021) lot 737
1 commentsVictor C
Ostrogoth_MEC101.jpg
OSTROGOTHS, Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus Struck during the reigns of Theodoric and Athalaric in Rome, circa AD 493-553Ostrogoths, Pseudo-Autonomous Æ Nummus (23mm 10.4g). Struck during the reigns of Theodoric and Athalaric in Rome, circa AD 493-553. INVICTA ROMA, helmeted bust of Roma right / Eagle with raised wings standing left, head right; XL upwards to left; workshop in exergue. Metlich 76b; MEC 101; BMC Vandals 14.Victor C
Ostrogoths_Theoderic_MEC_1_115_.jpg
Ostrogoths, Theoderic i/n/o Anastasius. Victory Tremissis of Rome. Dark Ages. Ostrogoths, Theoderic i/n/o Anastasius. 493-526 AD. AV Tremissis (1.46 gm, 14.8mm, 7h) of Rome, 493-518. Pearl-diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right, DN ANASTASIVS PF AVG. / Victory facing, advancing right, looking back, holding wreath & globus cruciger, star to right, VICTORIΛ ΛVGVSTORVM, ex: CONOB. nEF. Pseudo-Imperial issue. Pegasi Numismatics 124 #18. MEC I pl.7 #115 var. (COMOB); Wroth (BMC Vandals) p.56 #67 var. (star in left & right fields, COMOB); Metlich 14, 132; Hahn MIB I pl.36 #10-11.Anaximander
Divo_Victorino_Pio_Consacratio~0.JPG
Roman Empire, VICTORINUS. Commemorative AE antoninianus of Cologne. Struck A.D.271 under Tetricus I.Obverse: DIVO VICTORINO PIO. Radiate head of Victorinus facing right.
Reverse: CONSACRATIO. Eagle facing right, head turned left, standing on globe and holding wreath in beak.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 2.4gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC Vii : 85 | AGK 1 | Elmer 785 | Cunetio 2633
VERY RARE

A.D.271
Early in this year Victorinus was assassinated by Attitianus, an actuarius (regimental quartermaster), reportedly for reasons of personal revenge but more likely part of an officer coup. The most likely interpretation of the evidence is that Domitianus II was involved in this officer coup and, having presumably been hailed as Emperor by some of the troops, managed to secure temporary control of one of the 'Gallic' mints. However, those forces favouring Tetricus I as the new Emperor were able to assert themselves so swiftly and decisively that Domitianus’s elevation was unlikely to have lasted more than a few days. This coin, deifying Victorinus, was struck by Tetricus I towards the end of the year.
This year too, Aurelian, the central emperor, pushed the Vandals back from Pannonia and forced them to withdraw over the Danube. He also pursued the Alamanni who had entered Lombardy, closed the passes in the Alps and encircled the invaders near Pavia. The Alamanni were destroyed and Aurelian received the title Germanicus Maximus.
Also this year, Felicissimus, financial minister of the state treasury, led an uprising of mint workers in Rome against Aurelian but he was defeated and killed on the Caelian Hill.
3 comments*Alex
Sear_0281.jpg
Sear 0281Justinian I (527 – 565 CE) Nummus, weight 0.65g, diameter 9mm. Wroth ( i.e. the old British Museum Vandals, Ostrogoths and Lombards catalogue) attributed this type to Hilderic, but it is most likely a Byzantine imperial issue: from the mint at Carthage (or possibly another North African mint) and struck soon after the end of the Vandalic War in 534. Abu Galyon
PROBUS_VICT_GERM_RA~0.JPG
Struck A.D.278 - 282. PROBUS. Silvered AE Antoninianus of RomeObverse: IMP PROBVS P F AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Probus facing right.
Reverse: VICTORIA GERM. Two captives seated at foot of trophy; in exergue, R A.
RIC V ii : 220

After two years successfully campaigning against the Germanic peoples, including Franks, Vandals and Burgundians, Probus issued this coin to commemorate their defeat and the restoration of the Roman frontier on the Rhine and Upper Danube.
*Alex
Vandalic_Imitation_of_the_5th_century.JPG
Struck Imitation of the 5th CenturyStruck Imitation of the 5th Century
Victory advancing l. type
earl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Victory advancing left, wreath upward in right hand, palm in left
Wroth 21-31, Pl. III, 10

Attributed to the Vandals in Carthage.
Ardatirion
Vandale.jpg
SUB ROMAN, Vandals, MinimusMinimus, imitating a coin of Theodosius II
Vandal.JPG
SUB-ROMAN, Vandals, Anonymous Issue, 5th Century AD, North AfricaObv: Bust right
Rev: Victory Walking Left, Holding Wreath
Wroth, Coins of the Vandals, Victory type 21-31, pl. III, 10
Gelimer.JPG
SUB-ROMAN, Vandals, Gelimer 530-533 ADObv: Bust Right, ...IR
Rev: Monogram of Gelimer in Wreath
Wroth 4-6, p. 16
MEC 1, 28-30
Huneric.JPG
SUB-ROMAN, Vandals, Huneric 477-484 ADObv: Bust Left with Branch (indistinct)
Rev: N / IIII
BMC 7, 12
Vandal_unofficial.jpg
unofficial Vandals (imitation of Honorius) - AE 4c. 440-490 AD
unoffial (Carthage?)
pearl-didemed, draped and cuirassed bust of Honorius? right
D N HONORI_VS P F AVG
Victory facing, head left, holding wreath in each hand
IIIIII (VICTORI_A AVGGG)
(q) P
?
?
0,8g 9mm
J. B.
vandals_mun.jpg
Vandal Civic IssueObverse: Diademed and draped bust left, holding palm
Reverse: N/IIII in two lines across fields; – above N
Mint : Carthage
Date : circa 523-533
Reference : MIB I, 20 (Gelimer); BMC Vandals 12 (Huneric); MEC 1, 55
Grade : VF
Weight : 1.05g
Denom : Nummi
Metal : AE
Acquired: 01/05/06
Comments : brown patina (11mm)
1 commentsPeattie
gelimero_3.jpg
Vandals (Carthago), Gelimer (530-534), nummus, Wroth 18antvwala
gelimero_2.jpg
Vandals (Carthago), Gelimer (530-534), nummus, Wroth 18antvwala
vandali_ilderico_nummo.jpg
Vandals (Hilderic), nummus, Carthagoantvwala
Honorius_Vandal.jpg
Vandals (imitation of Honorius) - AE 4Africa - Carthage?
c. 440-490 AD (Gaiseric)
pearl-didemed, draped and cuirassed bust of Honorius right
D N HONORI_VS P F AVG
Victory facing, head left, holding wreath in each hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG
P
RM
BMC Vandals, p. 17, 1-3
1,1g 11mm
ex Savoca
J. B.
21-vandal.jpg
VANDALS - HildericVANDALS - Hilderic, (523-530). Æ Nummus. 8 mm. Obv.: HILD REX, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev.: Cross pattée within wreath. MEC 1, 24-5; BMC Vandals 9.dpaul7
imit_vandala.jpg
Vandals - imitativeHead of emperor - Anthropomorphic eagle
very scarce
antvwala
vandals_anon.jpg
Vandals anonymousObverse: Pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
Reverse: Victory advancing left, wreath upward in right hand, palm in left
Mint : Carthage
Date : 5th Century AD
Reference : Wroth, Coins of the Vandals, Victory type 21-31, Pl. III, 10
Grade : V
Weight : 0.99g
Metal : AE
Acquired: 16/06/06
Comments : Wroth notes that coins showing inscriptions represented by strokes or lozenges are probably indicative of barbarous imitations (possibly the Mauri tribe).
Peattie
gelimer+.jpg
Vandals Gelimer 50 DenariiGelimer Vandals 50 Denarii
VANDALS. Gelimer. 530-534.
AR 50 Denarii (1.20 g). Carthage mint.
Obv.: D N REX G-EILAMIR, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Obv.: D • N/L (mark of value) in two lines; cross above; all within wreath.

MEC 1, 26; BMC Vandals 2-3.
Tanit
Gunthamund.jpg
Vandals Gunthamund AE NummusVandals of North Africa, Gunthamund (484-496 AD). AE Nummus,
0.49 gr, 8mm.

Obv: Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: D within wreath.

MEC 13-14; BMC -.

The letter D could signify the value = 1/1500th of
a siliqua.
Very rare.
Tanit
Hilderich.jpg
VANDALS Hilderic AR 50 DenariiVANDALS. Hilderic. 523-530. AR 50 Denarii. Carthage mint.

Obv.: D N HILDI RIX REX, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev.: KARTG FELIX, Karthago standing facing, holding three grain ears in each hand.

MEC 1, 21-2; BMC Vandals 3.

Rare.
Tanit
Honorius_sil.jpg
Vandals Honorus Gaiseric SiliquaSiliqua (Silver, struck in the name of Honorius, Carthage, after 439.
DN HONORIVS P F AVG; Diademed bust right. Rev. VRBS ROMA ;Roma seated left.

BMCV 6-9. MEC 1-3. C. Morrisson and J.H. Schwartz, Vandal Silver Coinage in the Name of Honorius, ANSMN 27 (1982), 5 var.
Tanit
anonimo_vandalo.jpg
Vandals, anonymus, Spain?antvwala
gelimero.jpg
Vandals, Gelimer (530-534), nummus, Carthago, TAF A21antvwala
gelimero_nummo.jpg
Vandals, Gelimer (530-534), nummus, Carthago, Wroth 18antvwala
Vandals_Gunthamund_MEC_1_8_.jpg
Vandals, Gunthamund. 50 Denarii of Carthage.Dark Ages. Vandals, Gunthamund. 484-496 AD. AR 50 Denarii (0.90 gm, 14.3mm, 12h) of Carthage. Regal series. Diademed draped bust right. DN RX GVNTHΛ (Dominus Noster Rex Guntha). / D͞N (value mark for 500 nummi = 50 denari=half siliqua) in wreath. Pellet above. gVF Pegasi Numismatics Auction 41 (Vauctions 342) #749. ex-PNC Collection. MEC I #8ff; Hahn MIB I pl.42 #3; BMC Vandals pp.8-9 #3-7 (Plate II #3).Anaximander
vandali_ilderico_4_nummi.jpg
Vandals, Hilderic (523-530), 4 nummi, Carthago, Wroth 33/IVantvwala
MEC-1.jpg
Vandals: Anonymous (440-490) AR Siliqua, i.n.o Honorius, Africa (RIC X 3801; MEC 1-3; BMC 6-9)Obv: Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Honorius right
Rev: [VRBS] ROMA, Roma seated left on cuirass, holding Victory on globe and inverted spear; RVPS in exergue

Size: 15mm
Wgt: 1.65
Quant.Geek
BMC_Vandals-161.jpg
Vandals: Anonymous (440-490) Æ Nummus (MEC 1; BMC Vandals 161)Obv: Diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right
Rev: Christogram surrounded by pellets; all within wreath
Dim: 9mm, 0.46g, 12h
Quant.Geek
MEC-42.jpg
Vandals: Anonymous (ca. 480-533) Æ 12 Nummi, Carthage (MEC-42; MIB-19, under Hilderic)Obv: Carthage standing facing, each hand outstretched holding ears of corn
Rev: NXII within wreath
Quant.Geek
MEC-43.jpg
Vandals: Anonymous (ca. 480-533) Æ 42 Nummi, Carthage (MEC-43-4; MIB-22, under Gelimer)Obv: KARTHAGO; Soldier facing, holding spear
Rev: Horse’s head over XLII
Quant.Geek
Vandals_MEC-26.jpg
Vandals: Gelimer (530-534) AR 50 Denarii, Carthage (MEC-26; MIB-12)Obv: D•N REX GELIMIR; diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: DN over L within wreath
Quant.Geek
Vandals_MEC-8.jpg
Vandals: Gunthamund (484-496) AR 50 Denarii, Carthage (MEC 8-10; MIB-3)Obv: DN RX GVNTHA; diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: D•N within wreath.
1 commentsQuant.Geek
MEC-8(1).jpg
Vandals: Gunthamund (484-496) AR 50 Denarii, Carthage (MEC 8-10; MIB-3)Obv: DN RX GVNTHA; diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: D•N within wreath.
Quant.Geek
Vandals_MEC-16.jpg
Vandals: Thrasamund (496-523) AR 50 Denarii, Carthage (MEC-16; MIB-7)Obv: DN RG TRASAMVS; diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: DN within wreath
Quant.Geek
c6.jpg
Vandals? Ae10ancientone
Photo_on_2013-03-29_at_10_28_AM.jpg
Weapon - Spear Head - 2nd century AD - Germanic / MarcomannicGermanic iron spearhead.

This iron spear head has the rounded leaf form and high central ridge of a Germanic piece was found in Slovakia.

Dating is uncertain. It likely dates to the 1st or 2nd century AD.
It may have been a Marcomanni weapon.

It is 32 cm long (almost 13"), 5.2 cm at its widest, and has a shaft that held a 21 mm diameter wooden haft.
It had some of its edging restored (nicks were filled in with a black epoxy) by a previous owner, reportedly in the mid-20th century.

References:
JRMES 16, 2008, page 32, fig. 1 a+e, in Przeworsk culture (pre-Vandals), circa 1st c AD.
1 commentsSC
Z1546TN.jpeg
[1119a] Probus, Antoninianus, 276-282 A.D.Probus (AD 276-282) AE Antoninianus; Obverse: Radiate bust, left, wearing imperial mantel and holding scepter surmounted by eagle IMP. PROBVS P. F. AVG. Reverse: Cult image of Roma seated within six column temple ROMAE AETER. R thunderbolt A in exergue; Rome mint 21mm x 22mm, 3.59g; VF; RIC, Vol. 5. Part 2, #183.


De Imperatoribus Romanis,
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors


Probus (276-282 A.D.) and Rival Claimants (Proculus, Bonosus, and Saturninus)of the 280s


Robin Mc Mahon
New York University

Probus's Background
M. Aurelius Probus was most likely born in Sirmium in 232 A.D. It is difficult to reconstruct Probus' career before he became emperor because of the unreliable nature of the account in the Historia Augusta, but it is certainly possible that he was a tribune under Valerian. Perhaps all that can be said with any reliability is that he served in the military and was on Aurelian's staff during his Eastern campaigns. There is a certain amount of confusion in the sources about him because of the fact that he has often been confused with a certain Tenagino Probus, who served as prefect in Egypt under Claudius II Gothicus.

Accession to Power
After the murder of Aurelian, the Senate chose as his successor the septuagenarian senator, Tacitus, who took up the burdens of state and headed with the army to the East. The Eruli had overrun Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia and finally Cilicia, where Tacitus, with help from his half-brother Florianus, defeated them. Tacitus, however, either died of an illness or was killed by his own troops; he was succeeded by Florianus. In the meantime, Probus had been declared Emperor by his own troops in mid-276, and prepared to meet Florianus, who was marching from the Bosporus, having broken off his victorious engagement against the Eruli. Florianus was acknowledged in Rome and was supported by Gaul, Spain, Britain, and Italy; Probus was supported by Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine and Egypt. The two fought a desultory campaign near Tarsus. With a much smaller force, Probus decided his best strategy would be to avoid a pitched battle and let the heat overcome the troops of Florianus. The latter, having reigned barely two months, was murdered by his own troops. Probus became sole Emperor, possibly by August 276.
Probus in the West: 276-279
His first order of business was to punish the murderers of Aurelian, who may have also had a hand in the murder of Tacitus. On the basis of numismatic evidence, Probus appears to have traveled from the east across the Propontis, and then through the provinces of Thrace, Moesia and Pannonia. It is at this time that he must have defeated the Goths because he already had the title Gothicus by 277 A.D. Shortly after he arrived at the Rhine River he made a trip to Rome to have his powers ratified by the Senate.

Following the death of Postumus in 258, the situation in Gaul had rapidly deteriorated and numerous bands of invaders had swept across the Rhine. In the south, the Longiones, together with the Alamanni, had advanced through the Neckar valley into Gaul. The Franks had crossed the Rhine further north. In order to meet this simultaneous threat, Probus divided his forces having his generals campaign against the Franks, while he himself fought against the Longiones and Alamanni. Both Probus and his generals were victorious; in fact, Probus even captured Semnon, the leader of the Longiones, with his son. Both groups of invaders agreed to terms and booty and prisoners were returned; in the end, Probus allowed Semnon and his son their freedom.

Probus is next reported to have fought victoriously against the Burgundians and to have secured his victory with some ingenuity. Because his forces were smaller than those of the invaders, he wanted to engage the enemy on terms as favorable as possible; the Romans were on one side of the river and the barbarians were on the other. Probus was able to induce them to cross the river by having his soldiers hurl insults at them, and being enraged, they began crossing the river. Before the barbarians were able to organize themselves, the Roman army soundly routed them. Smarting from their defeat, the enemy did not live up to their end of the treaty, with the result that, in a second battle, they were again worsted by Probus. The barbarians who were taken prisoner were enrolled in the Roman Army and sent to Britain.

Not content with merely defeating the barbarians along the Rhine, Probus took important steps to secure the boundary for the future. He planned and constructed a series of forts and depots on the German side of the Rhine at various crossing points, which he garrisoned with troops. Further, Probus apparently took measures to restore economic stability to Gaul by encouraging the planting of vineyards. Probus' titles Gothicus Maximus and Germanicus Maximus suggest claims to the success of his operations in the area.

Events in the East 279-280
The sources do not give many details of Probus's activities in Raetia and Illyricum, but Zosimus does say he repulsed an invasion of Vandals from Illyricum in a battle along a river generally identified as the Lech. In 279, theatre of operations was Lycia. Zosimus records the curious story of the adventures and death of a robber chieftain name Lydius who may be the same individual called Palfuerius in the Historia Augusta. In order to prevent further troubles, Probus constructed fortresses, and settled large groups of veterans in this area, giving them land in exchange for the promise that their sons would also serve in the legions when they were old enough.

Probus's Military and Economic Activities In Egypt
Meanwhile, Probus had sent his generals to Egypt, where the Blemmyes were stirring up trouble in 280; they had broken through the border, advanced up the Nile, and, in league with the city of Ptolemais, captured the city of Koptus. They were eventually expelled and order was restored by Probus' generals. Once Probus had restored order, he set about the task of a large-scale reconstruction of the dikes, canals, and bridges along the Nile, something which not been done since it had been undertaken by Augustus in the years 27-25 B.C. More specifically, the Vita Probi notes, "On the Nile, moreover, he did so much that his sole efforts added greatly to the tithes of grain. He constructed bridges and temples porticos and basilicas, all by the labour of the soldiers, he opened up many river-mouths, and drained many marshes, and put in their place grain-fields and farms"(9.3-4). The importance of this type of work cannot be underestimated since a large percentage of the food supply for Rome came from Egypt and the African provinces.

The Revolts of Proculus, Bonosus, and Saturninus
According to the Historia Augusta, although the Persian King, Vahram II, had made peaceful overtures, Probus had rejected these and was planning to push the war forward when he was faced with a series of revolts both in the West and East. It is difficult to place them in their exact time-frame since the sources do not agree. Nevertheless, the situation was serious enough for Probus to cancel his plans for war with Persia and hurry back to the West. On his return Probus settled large numbers of barbarians in the Empire. Perhaps this was done to repopulate areas which had been left abandoned by the effects of invasions and plague. This policy, which Probus did not begin, and which was continued by his successors was, however, destined to bring trouble to Rome in the future.

The writer of the Vita Probi in the Historia Augusta indicates that in 280 A.D. Proculus revolted in the vicinity of the city of Lugdunum, which had been severely dealt with by Aurelian and, for reasons not given, spurred on by this fear, had adopted a hostile attitude towards Probus. Proculus apparently had some connections to the Franks and he had hoped to rally them to his cause. They appear, however, to have handed him over to Probus when he arrived on the scene. Probably at the same time, Bonosus revolted. His rebellion seems to have been serious as it appears to have required considerable force to be suppressed. Bonosus, an officer in charge of the Rhine fleet, had somehow let the Germans slip over the border and burn the fleet. Fearful of retribution, he apparently took shelter in proclaiming himself emperor. He was, in spite of his lapse with the fleet, an excellent soldier. The fighting was only stopped when Bonosus, despairing of his position, hanged himself. Probus spared the lives of his sons as well as that of his wife.

Julius Saturninus, one of Probus 's commanders in Syria, probably seized power in the year 281. A close friend and associate of Probus, he may have been compelled to adopt the purple by his unruly troops. Although he initially rejected a request of the people of Alexandria to put on the purple, he later changed his mind and proclaimed himself Augustus. In any case, Probus planned to put down the rebellion. However, Saturninus was killed by his own troops before Probus had a chance to act.

The sources do not provide much in the way of material to analyze the extent of these revolts and how widespread the feeling was against Probus in the West. There are indications that the revolts were more than local affairs because inscriptions from as far away as Spain have been found where Probus's name has been erased.

In 281 Probus was in Rome to celebrate his victories. Although the Historia Augusta goes into great detail to describe the events of Probus’s triumph and celebrations of his victories in respect to the number of animals and prisoners involved, there may be some truth to its description because Zosimus states there was a uprising which at this time required a force of soldiers to suppress. On a more substantial note, Probus completed the wall around Rome which had been begun by Aurelian.

Probus' Assassination
Probus was too anxious to push ahead with his plans for an invasion of Persia, which had been postponed due to the revolts and unrest in the West, and, to this end, he left Rome in 282 and proceeded first to his native town of Sirmium when news came that M. Aurelius Carus, Perfect of the Guard, had been proclaimed emperor. When troops sent by Probus to quell the rebellion went over to Carus, Probus' remaining troops killed the emperor. His death occurred sometime between September or October 282.
Copyright (C) 1999, Robin Mc Mahon. Published on De Imperatoribus Romanis, An Online Encyclopedia of the Roman Emperors and their Families; http://www.roman-emperors.org/probus.htm. Used by permission.

Probus started as a simple soldier but advanced to general and was declared emperor after the death of Tacitus. Florian's murder left him as undisputed ruler. His leadership brought peace and prosperity but he was murdered by mutinous soldiers, enraged at being employed on public building projects. Joseph Sermarini, FORVM.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
Justinan1Nikomedia.jpg
[1611a] Justinian I, 4 April 527 - 14 November 565 A.D.Bronze follis, S 201, choice VF, 22.147g, 43.8mm, 180o, 2nd officina, Nikomedia mint, 541 - 542 A.D.; Obverse: D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, globus cruciger in right, shield decorated with a horseman brandishing a spear, cross right; Reverse: large M, cross above, ANNO left, Xu (= year 15) right, B below, NIKO in ex; full circle strike on a huge flan. Ex FORVM.



De Imperatoribus Romanis
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors

Justinian (527-565 A.D.).


James Allan Evans
University of British Columbia

Introduction
The reign of Justinian was a turning-point in Late Antiquity. It is the period when paganism finally lost its long struggle to survive, and when the schism in Christianity between the Monophysite east and the Chalcedonian west became insurmountable. From a military viewpoint, it marked the last time that the Roman Empire could go on the offensive with hope of success. Africa and Italy were recovered, and a foothold was established in Spain. When Justinian died, the frontiers were still intact although the Balkans had been devastated by a series of raids and the Italian economy was in ruins. His extensive building program has left us the most celebrated example of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture that still survives: Hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul. His reign was a period when classical culture was in sharp decline and yet it had a last flowering, with historians such as Procopius and Agathias working within the tradition inherited from Herodotus and Thucydides, and poets such as Paul the Silentiary who wrote some of the most sensuous poems that the classical tradition has ever produced. The Codex Justinianus, the Institutes and the Digest of Roman jurisprudence, all commissioned by Justinian, are monuments to the past achievements of Roman legal heritage. Justinian's reign sums up the past. It also provides a matrix for the future. In particular, there was the bubonic plague, which appeared in Constantinople in 542, for the first time in Europe, and then travelled round the empire in search of victims, returning to the capital for a new crop in 558. The plague ended a period of economic growth and initiated one of overstrained resources.

The 'Nika' Revolt
The 'Nika' Revolt which broke out in January, 532, in Constantinople, was an outburst of street violence which went far beyond the norms even in a society where a great deal of street violence was accepted. Every city worth notice had its chariot-racing factions which took their names from their racing colors: Reds, Whites, Blues and Greens. These were professional organizations initially responsible for fielding chariot-racing teams in the hippodromes, though by Justinian's time they were in charge of other shows as well. The Blues and the Greens were dominant, but the Reds and Whites attracted some supporters: the emperor Anastasius was a fan of the Reds. The aficionados of the factions were assigned their own blocs of seats in the Hippodrome in Constantinople, opposite the imperial loge, and the Blue and Green "demes" provided an outlet for the energies of the city's young males. G. M. Manojlovic in an influential article originally published in Serbo-Croat in 1904, argued that the "demes" were organized divisions of a city militia, and thus played an important role in the imperial defense structure. His thesis is now generally disregarded and the dominant view is that of Alan Cameron, that demos, whether used in the singular or plural, means simply "people" and the rioting of the "demes", the "fury of the Hippodrome", as Edward Gibbon called it, was hooliganism, which was also Gibbon's view. Efforts to make the Greens into supporters of Monophysitism and the Blues of Orthodoxy founder on lack of evidence. However, in support of Manojlovic's thesis, it must be said that, although we cannot show that the Blue and Green "demes" were an organized city militia, we hear of "Young Greens" both in Constantinople and Alexandria who bore arms, and in 540, when Antioch fell to the Persians, Blue and Green street-fighters continued to defend the city after the regular troops had fled.

Justinian and Theodora were known Blue supporters, and when street violence escalated under Justin I, Procopius claims that they encouraged it. But since Justinian became emperor he had taken a firmer, more even-handed stand. On Saturday, January 10, 532, the city prefect Eudaemon who had arrested some hooligans and found seven guilty of murder, had them hanged outside the city at Sycae, across the Golden Horn, but the scaffold broke and saved two of them from death, a Blue and a Green. Some monks from St. Conon's monastery nearby took the two men to sanctuary at the church of St Lawrence where the prefect set troops to watch. The following Tuesday while the two malefactors were still trapped in the church, the Blues and Greens begged Justinian to show mercy. He ignored the plea and made no reply. The Blues and Green continued their appeals until the twenty-second race (out of twenty-four) when they suddenly united and raised the watchword 'Nika'. Riots started and the court took refuge in the palace. That evening the mob burned the city prefect's praetorium.

Justinian tried to continue the games next day but only provoked more riot and arson. The rioting and destruction continued throughout the week; even the arrival of loyal troops from Thrace failed to restore order. On Sunday before sunrise, Justinian appeared in the Hippodrome where he repented publicly and promised an amnesty. The mob turned hostile, and Justinian retreated. The evening before Justinian had dismissed two nephews of the old emperor Anastasius, Hypatius and Pompey, against their will, from the palace and sent them home, and now the mob found Hypatius and proclaimed him emperor in the Hippodrome. Justinian was now ready to flee, and perhaps would have done so except for Theodora, who did not frighten easily. Instead Justinian decided to strike ruthlessly. Belisarius and Mundo made their separate ways into the Hippodrome where they fell on Hypatius' supporters who were crowded there, and the 'Nika' riot ended with a bloodbath.

A recent study of the riot by Geoffrey Greatrex has made the point that what was unique about it was not the actions of the mob so much as Justinian's attempts to deal with it. His first reaction was to placate: when the mob demanded that three of his ministers must go, the praetorian prefect of the East, John the Cappadocian, the Quaestor of the Sacred Palace Tribonian and the urban prefect Eudaemon, Justinian replaced them immediately. He hesitated when he should have been firm and aggravated the situation. It may well have been Theodora who emboldened him for the final act of repression. Procopius imagines Theodora on the last day engaging in formal debate about what should be done, and misquoting a famous maxim that was once offered the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius the Elder "Tyranny is a good shroud." Theodora emends it to "Kingship is a good shroud" and readers of Procopius may have thought wryly that the emendation was unnecessary. The formal debate, and Theodora's great scene, was probably a creation of Procopius' imagination, but a splendid one.

The 'Nika' revolt left Justinian firmly in charge. The mob was cowed and the senatorial opposition that surfaced during the revolt was forced underground. The damage to Constantinople was great, but it cleared the way for Justinian's own building program. Work in his new church of Hagia Sophia to replace the old Hagia Sophia that was destroyed in the rioting, started only forty-five days after the revolt was crushed. The two leaders of the Hippodrome massacre, Mundo and Belisarius, went on to new appointments: Mundo back to Illyricum as magister militum and Belisarius to make his reputation as the conqueror of the Vandals in Africa. The 530s were a decade of confidence and the 'Nika' riot was only a momentary crisis.

(for a detailed account of the reign of Justinian I, see: http://www.roman-emperors.org/justinia.htm)

Last Years
Misfortune crowded into the final years of Justinian's reign. There was another Samaritan revolt in midsummer, 556. Next year, in December, a great earthquake shook Constantinople and in May of the following year, the dome of Justinian's new Hagia Sophia collapsed, and had to be rebuilt with a new design. About the same time, the plague returned to the capital. Then in early 559 a horde of Kutrigur 'Huns' (proto-Bulgars) crossed the frozen Danube and advanced into the Balkans. It split into three columns: one pushed into Greece but got no further than Thermopylae, another advanced into the Gallipoli peninsula but got no further than the Long Wall, which was defended by a young officer from Justinian's native city, while the third, most dangerous spearhead led by the 'Hun' khan, Zabergan himself, made for Constantinople. Faced with this attack and without any forces for defense, Justinian called Belisarius out of retirement, and Belisarius, using a scratch force, the core of which was 300 of his veterans, ambushed the Kutrigur horde and routed it. Once the immediate danger was over, however, Justinian recalled Belisarius and took charge himself. The news that Justinian was reinforcing his Danube fleet made the Kutrigurs anxious and they agreed to a treaty which gave them a subsidy and safe passage back across the river. But as soon as they were north of the Danube, they were attacked by their rivals the Utigurs who were incited by Justinian to relieve them of their booty. The Kutrigurs raided Thrace again in 562, but they and the Utigurs were soon to fall prey to the Avars who swept out of the Asian steppes in the early 560s.

There was discontent in the capital. Street violence was on the increase again. There were bread shortages and water shortages. In late 562, there was a conspiracy which almost succeeded in killing the emperor. The chief conspirator was Marcellus, an argyroprates, a goldsmith and banker, and the conspiracy probably reflected the dissatisfaction of the business community. But Justinian was too old to learn to be frugal. He resorted to forced loans and requisitions and his successor found the treasury deeply in debt.

What remained of the great emperor's achievement? His successor Justin II, out of a combination of necessity and foolhardiness, denied the 'barbarians' the subsidies which had played a major role in Justinian's defense of the frontiers, and, to be fair, which had also been provided by emperors before him. Subsidies had been part of Anastasius' policy as well, but that was before the plague, while the imperial economy was still expanding. The result of Justin II's change of policy was renewed hostility with Persia and a shift of power in the Balkans. In 567 the Avars and Lombards joined forces against the Gepids and destroyed them. But the Lombards distrusted their allies and next year they migrated into Italy where Narses had just been removed from command and recalled, though he disobeyed orders and stayed in Rome until his death. By the end of the century only a third of Italy was in Byzantine hands. On the eastern frontier, Justin alienated the Ghassanid allies and lost the fortress of Daras, a reverse which overwhelmed his frangible sanity. For this Justinian can hardly be blamed. No one can deny his greatness; a recent study by Asterios Gerostergios even lionizes him. But if we look at his reign with the unforgiving eye of hindsight, it appears to be a brilliant effort to stem the tide of history, and in the end, it was more a failure than a moderate success.

Copyright (C) 1998, James Allan Evans. Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

The Church we know today as Hagia Sophia - or Divine Wisdom, its true name - was dedicated by the Emperor Justinian in 537AD. Through many visitudes Justinian's cathedral church of Constantinople still stands, its soring vaults and amazing dome testiments to the human spirit, the engineering talents of its builders and Divine inspiration. In the same fashion that Vespasian's Collesium (the Flavian Amphitheatre) is symbolic of Rome, Justinian's Hagia Sophia is a symbol of Byzantium.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
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