- The Collaborative Numismatics Project
  Explore Our Website And Find Joy In The History, Numismatics, Art, Mythology, And Geography Of Coins!!! NumisWiki Is An Enormous Unique Resource Including Hundreds Of Books And Thousands Of Articles Online!!! The Column On The Left Includes Our "Best of NumisWiki" Menu If You Are New To Collecting - Start With Ancient Coin Collecting 101 NumisWiki Includes The Encyclopedia of Roman Coins and Historia Nummorum If You Have Written A Numismatic Article - Please Add It To NumisWiki All Blue Text On The Website Is Linked - Keep Clicking To ENDLESSLY EXPLORE!!! Please Visit Our Shop And Find A Coin You Love Today!!!

× Resources Home
Home
New Articles
Most Popular
Recent Changes
Current Projects
Admin Discussions
Guidelines
How to
zoom.asp
Index Of All Titles


BEST OF

AEQVITI
Aes Formatum
Aes Rude
The Age of Gallienus
Alexander Tetradrachms
Ancient Coin Collecting 101
Ancient Coin Prices 101
Ancient Coin Dates
Ancient Coin Lesson Plans
Ancient Coins & Modern Fakes
Ancient Counterfeits
Ancient Glass
Ancient Metal Arrowheads
Ancient Oil Lamps
Ancient Pottery
Ancient Weapons
Ancient Wages and Prices
Ancient Weights and Scales
Anonymous Follis
Anonymous Class A Folles
Antioch Officinae
Aphlaston
Armenian Numismatics Page
Augustus - Facing Portrait
Brockage
Bronze Disease
Byzantine
Byzantine Denominations
A Cabinet of Greek Coins
Caesarean and Actian Eras
Campgates of Constantine
Carausius
A Case of Counterfeits
Byzantine Christian Themes
Clashed Dies
Codewords
Coins of Pontius Pilate
Conditions of Manufacture
Corinth Coins and Cults
Countermarked in Late Antiquity
Danubian Celts
Damnatio Coinage
Damnatio Memoriae
Denomination
Denarii of Otho
Diameter 101
Die Alignment 101
Dictionary of Roman Coins
Doug Smith's Ancient Coins
Draco
Edict on Prices
ERIC
ERIC - Rarity Tables
Etruscan Alphabet
The Evolving Ancient Coin Market
EQVITI
Fel Temp Reparatio
Fertility Pregnancy and Childbirth
Fibula
Flavian
Fourree
Friend or Foe
The Gallic Empire
Gallienus Zoo
Greek Alphabet
Greek Coins
Greek Dates
Greek Coin Denominations
Greek Mythology Link
Greek Numismatic Dictionary
Hellenistic Names & their Meanings
Hasmoneans
Hasmonean Dynasty
Helvetica's ID Help Page
The Hexastyle Temple of Caligula
Historia Numorum
Holy Land Antiquities
Horse Harnesses
Illustrated Ancient Coin Glossary
Important Collection Auctions
Islamic Rulers and Dynasties
Julian II: The Beard and the Bull
Julius Caesar - The Funeral Speech
Koson
Kushan Coins
Later Roman Coinage
Latin Plurals
Latin Pronunciation
Legend
Library of Ancient Coinage
Life in Ancient Rome
List of Kings of Judea
Medusa Coins
Maps of the Ancient World
Military Belts
Military Belts
Mint Marks
Monogram
Museum Collections Available Online
Nabataea
Nabataean Alphabet
Nabataean Numerals
The [Not] Cuirassed Elephant
Not in RIC
Numismatic Bulgarian
Numismatic Excellence Award
Numismatic French
Numismatic German
Numismatic Italian
Numismatic Spanish
Parthian Coins
Patina 101
Paleo-Hebrew Alphabet
Paleo-Hebrew Script Styles
People in the Bible Who Issued Coins
Imperial Mints of Philip the Arab
Phoenician Alphabet
Pi-Style Athens Tetradrachms
Pricing and Grading Roman Coins
Reading Judean Coins
Representations of Alexander the Great
Roman Coin Attribution 101
Roman Coin Legends and Inscriptions
Roman Keys
Roman Locks
Roman Militaria
Roman Military Belts
Roman Mints
Roman Names
romancoin.info
Rome and China
Sasanian
Satyrs and Nymphs
Scarabs
Serdi Celts
Serrated
Siglos
The Sign that Changed the World
Silver Content of Parthian Drachms
Star of Bethlehem Coins
Statuary Coins
Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum
Syracusian Folles
Taras Drachms with Owl Left
The Temple Tax
The Temple Tax Hoard
Test Cut
Travels of Paul
Tribute Penny
Tribute Penny Debate Continued (2015)
Tribute Penny Debate Revisited (2006)
Tyrian Shekels
Uncleaned Ancient Coins 101
Vabalathus
Venus Cloacina
What I Like About Ancient Coins
Who was Trajan Decius
Widow's Mite
XXI

   View Menu
 

GORDIAN I AFRICANUS

Reigned: 238

See coins of Gordian I Africanus for sale in the Forum Ancient Coins shop.

MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS SEMPRONIVS ROMANVS was born about 159 to Ulpia Gordiana and Maecius Marullus, who claimed descendence from Trajanand the Gracchi, respectively. The family was wealthy, and owned the estate outside of Rome which formerly had belonged to Pompey the Great. He was highly literate, of a mild disposition, dignified, and correct in behavior. He married Fabia Orestilia, and they had two children, Metia Faustina and, in 192, a son (see GORDIAN II) given the same names as his father.

He served as a consul for the first time under Caracalla in 213 and for the second time under Severus Alexander in 229. He seems also to have served as provincial governor of lower Britain. He was appointed Proconsul of Africa by Severus Alexander (or possibly by Maximinus), and his son was appointed as his lieutenant. They were serving in those capacities in March, 238 when a rebellion against Maximinus broke out in their territory.

Maximinus had raised taxes to pay for his incessant wars, and his procurator in Africa was particularly severe in his collection means. Several young men, whose fortunes were threatened, gathered their slaves and some peasants and fell upon the procurator in the city of Thysdrus (El Djem, Tunisia). Having thus killed the Emperor 's official, swift retribution by Maximinus was certain unless they could raise the entire province to general rebellion. The best means they could conceive of was to propose as emperor someone who was well known and diametrically opposed to Maximinus in character. Their choice naturally fell upon Gordianus - mild, just, aristocratic, learned, and highly respected. He by chance was also in Thysdrus at the time.

On March 19, 238 they compelled him by a combination of threats and pleas to accept their acclamation as Augustus, although he was very reluctant and begged them to leave him alone to die in peace of old age (he was nearly eighty at that time). Once proclaimed, he also realized that his only hope of survival was in spreading the rebellion, and he played upon the hatred between Maximinus and the Senate. He and his son immediately went to Carthage and dispatched a delegation to Rome asking for the Senate 's support. The Senate, mostly composed of friends of the Gordians, was overjoyed at the chance to be rid of Maximinus. On April 2, 238 the Senate confirmed them as co-Augusti (giving them the titles 'AFRICANVS '), deified Severus Alexander, organized a committee of twenty Senators to oversee the defense of Italy, and declared Maximinus and his son Maximus to be public enemies. Although both Gordians were given the title of Augustus, only the senior Gordianus was given the title of 'Pontifex Maximus ', implying superiority. The delegation also secured the assassination of Vitalianus, the Praetorian Praefect who had unswerving loyalty to the war-like Maximinus, and would have posed a threat to the security of the Senate itself.

However, in Africa events were moving swiftly, as Capellianus, the Governor of Numidia, had a personal grudge against Gordianus (it seems that Gordianus had sued Capellianus over some matter.) and moved quickly to crush the revolt. He moved his III Augusta legion and auxiliaries against the Gordians in Carthage. The younger Gordian tried to organize the few regular troops at Carthage and the enthusiastic citizenry into a fighting force, but they were completely overwhelmed by the disciplined legion of Capellianus just outside of Carthage. The younger Gordian was believed slain in the battle (although his body was never found), and his eighty-year-old father, who awaited the outcome of the battle in Carthage, committed suicide by hanging immediately afterward (April 12, 238).


DICTIONARY OF ROMAN COINS





 Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate.

GORDIANUS I. (Marcus Antonius) Africanus senior, was the issue of an illustrious

family. His father was Metius Marulus, his mother Ulpia Gordiana. He was born about the year of Rome 940 (A.D. 157) Of a mild, just and munificent disposition, correct in morals and dignified in manners; well versed in the higher branches of literature, loving and cultivating both eloquence and poetry, he soon obtained public offices and displayed his virtues and moderation in a remarkable manner. His edileship was a splendid one; for the riches of his family enabled him to serve that ruinously expensive magistrature with great brilliancy. In 966 (A.D.213) he was consul for the first time. In 982 (A.D. 229) his second consulate was in colleagueship with the Emperor Alexander Severus, replacing in the middle of the year Dion Cassius, the historian. The emperor sent Gordian into Africa, as proconsul and appointed his son to be his lieutenant. In that province, he won, as governor, the affection of the governed – and this popularity proved at once glorious and fatal to him.

991 (A.D. 238). – A procurator (commissioner) of Maximinus arriving in Africa, and having by his exactions exasperated the people, was killed by some young nobles. These rash men, to escape the anger of the Thracian savage, who would have been sure to avenge the death of his officers in a cruel manner compelled Gordian, then 80 years of age, and who was at the moment at Thysdras, to accept the empire, which they also decreed to his son. This choice of the army and province was approved by the Senate and by the whole city of Rome, who detested Maximimus on account of his ferocious tyranny. A senatus consultum proclaimed the desposition of Maximinus and the accession of the two Gordians. The new Augusti did not long enjoy the honors of imperial sovereignty. Capellianus, governor if Mauretania, enraged against Gordian, the father, who had superseded him in that lieutenancy, marched upon Carthage with a numerous army. On receiving this intelligence, the elder Gordian under the desponding impression, that he should not be able to resist so vast a multitude of assailants, put an end to his life by strangulation. His son was slain in the conflict which took place when the partisans of Capellianus entered Carthage. Thus perished both father and son, after having jointly held supreme power about forty-five days. The Senate in token of its regrets placed the two Augusti in the rank of the gods. Gordian senior had married Fabia Pius, by whom he had Gordian, afterwards his associate in the empire, and Metia Faustina, wife of Junius Balbus, a consular personage.
 

His style is IMP C (or CAES) M ANT GORDIANVS AFR AVG. His coins consist of silver and brass and are of extreme rarity. The Latin pieces are considered (by Hennin) to have been struck at Carthage. If so they are a credit from their workmanship to the mint of the African province. But it is much more probable that they were minted at Rome.

MINTAGES of GORDIANUS AFR. PATER.

SILVER – CONCORDIA AVG. Woman seated. (Valued by Minnet at 110fr.) – P.M. TR. P. COS. P.P. Figure standing, in the toga, with laurel twig. (£3 15s. Pembroke; £7 5s. Thomas; £3 6s. Brumell; £4 4s. Tovey.) – SECVRITAS AVG. or AVGG. Woman seated. (£3 3s. Brummell; £3 19s Sabatier). – VICTORIA AVGG. (£3 8s. Thomas). – VIRTVS AVGG. (4 5s, Thomas; $4 0s Campana).

ROMAE AETERNAE. Rome the victory-bearer seated – Obv. IMP. M. ANT. GORDIANVS AFR. AVG. Head of the elder
Gordian. (£3 3s. Brumell; £3 6s. Sabatier sale. Engraved at the head of this article).

FIRST BRASS. – P.M. TR. P. COS. P.P. Figure standing, habited in the toga, holding in the right hand an olive branch, and a truncheon in the left. (Mt. 45fr.) Engraved in the Cabinet de Christine. – PROVIDENT. AVGG. S. A woman stands with cornucopia pointing to a globe. (£4 1s. Devonshire). Engraved in Akerman, i. P. 461, pl. 8, No. 1. – SECVRITAS AVGG. A woman seated (£3 1s 0d. Thomas). – ROMAE AETERNAE. Rome seated. (Mt. 45 fr.) – VICTORIA AVGG. Victory walking (£3 11s. 0d. Thomas; £2 12s. Campana).

* The easiest method, according to M. Rollin of Paris, for classifying the rare medals of the first two Gordians is to remember that on the father 's the hair is fuller on the forehead, and the cheek is rather sunk in through old age, whilst the son is bald in front, but has a much fuller face. – Note in p.126 of the Campana Sale Catalogue.

View whole page from the Dictionary Of Roman Coins
All coins are guaranteed for eternity