Lot of 3 large coins Rare original Ancient Roman Constantius Licinius Maximianus

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Lot of 3 Random lot of original ancient Roman bronze coins
4th Century AD
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Measuring 19-25mm. Original patina and earthen encrustation. Not cleaned. Exactly as pictured.
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Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus
(ca. 325/326 - 354), better known as
Constantius Gallus
, was a member of the
Constantinian dynasty
and
Caesar
of the
Roman Empire
(351-354). Gallus was
consul
three years, from 352 to 354.
Family
Son of
Julius Constantius
by his first wife Galla, Gallus' paternal grandparents were
Western Roman Emperor
Constantius Chlorus
and his second wife
Flavia Maximiana Theodora
.
Julius Constantius was also a half-brother of
Roman Emperor
Constantine I
, and thus Gallus was a first cousin of Emperors
Constantine II
,
Constantius II
and
Constans
.
The older sister of Gallus, of unknown name, was the
first wife of Constantius II
. Julius Constantius had married a second wife, Basilina, who had borne him a son, Flavius Claudius Iulianus, later emperor, and known as
Julian
.
Appearance
Gallus was very good looking, with soft blond hair.
Youth
Gallus was born in
Massa Veternensis
,
Italia
, after his father had returned from exile. In 337, during the purges that hit the imperial family after the death of Constantine I, Gallus saw his father and his elder brother killed, probably by order of his cousin Constantius. The only imperial males surviving were the three Emperors, Gallus, and Julian, who were probably too young or ill (Banchich) to be a menace to Constantius.
With regards to Gallus' youth, the most accepted view is that he lived with Julian under
Eusebius
, bishop of
Nicomedia
, then in
Constantinople
since 340 (when Eusebius became bishop of the capital). After 341 (death of Eusebius), Constantius sent Gallus and Julian to the imperial manor in
Macellum
,
Cappadocia
. An alternative view accepts hints from sources that want Gallus in Ephesus to study, and then going to Macellum from an exile in Tralles.
Caesar
In 350,
Magnentius
had rebelled and killed the emperor
Constans
, claiming the purple.
Constantius II
prepared to move against the usurper, but needed a representative in the East, so he called Gallus at
Sirmium
, raised him to the rank of
caesar
(
15 March
351
), gave him the name
Constantius
, and strengthened the bonds with his cousin by allowing Gallus to marry his sister
Constantina
. Gallus and Constantina, who probably shared her brother's aim of controlling the young caesar, set up residence in
Antioch
.
During his rule, Gallus had to deal with a
Jewish
rebellion in
Judea
/
Palestine
(see
War against Gallus
). The rebellion, possibly started before Gallus' elevation to caesar, was crushed by Gallus' general,
Ursicinus
, who ordered all the rebels slain.
Gallus was saved from an assassination plot by a woman, who revealed that some members of her household were planning the murder. Some sources, among whom are
Joannes Zonaras
, claim that this plot had been organized by Magnentius in order to distract Constantius from Magnentius himself.
Some sources (
Philostorgius
) claim Gallus' generals won a campaign against the
Sassanids
. Others, basing their views on an almost-peaceful situation between Sassanids and Romans, dismiss this claim. In 354, Gallus sent the
Comes
Orientis
, Nebridius, against the
Isaurians
, who had been raiding the city of
Seleucia on the Tigris
.
As a consequence of the need to gather food for the troops of a Persian campaign or because of drought, the grain supply in Antioch decreased. In order to counter the higher price of grain, Gallus forced the passage of some laws regardless of the opinion of the Senate, thus alienating the support of the senatorial class of Antioch.
Ammianus Marcellinus
, a philo-senatorial writer, tells how the anger of the people of Antioch for the famine was diverted by Gallus towards the
consularis
Syriae
Theophilus, who was killed by the mob.
Ammianus reports also that Gallus and Constantina started several trials for magic against wealthy people, ending in the execution of innocents and in the confiscation of their wealth. The same source claims that Gallus walked anonymously in Antioch by night, asking passersby for their opinion on their caesar, while Julian records the great amount of time spent by Gallus at the Hippodrome, probably to obtain popular support.
Doubting his cousin's loyalty, Constantius reduced the troops under Gallus, and sent the
Praetorian Prefect
Domitianus to Antioch to urge Gallus to go to Italy. Different sources tell different stories, but all agree that Gallus arrested Domitianus and the quaestor Montius who had come to his aid, and that the two officers were killed.
The arrest of Montius led to the discovery of what seems to be a plot to elevate an usurper against Gallus. The conspirators had the support of two
tribuni fabricarum
(officers of the weapons factories) who had promised the weapons for an uprising (Ammianus Marcellinus,
14.7.18
), and probably of the troops in Mesopotamia, as well as of the rector of the province of Phoenice. All of those involved in the plot were sentenced to death.
Fall and death
Constantius was informed of the trials in Antioch during a campaign against the
Alamanni
. Having signed a peace with the Germanic tribe, Constantius decided to settle the matter with his cousin. First he summoned Ursicinus to the West, whom he suspected to have been inciting Gallus in order to create the occasion for a revolt and the usurpation of his own son.
Next, Constantius summoned Gallus and Constantina to Milan. Constantina left first, in order to gain some of her brother's trust, but died at Caeni Gallicani in
Bithynia
. Gallus, whose bonds to Constantius had been weakened, stayed in Antioch. Constantius tried to lure Gallus, sending the
tribunus scutariorum
Scudilo to tell Gallus that Constantius wanted to raise him to
Augustus
. Gallus desiring to finally obtain the rank of
Augustus
, took Constantius's bait and left
Antioch
to meet him. Gallus in an exhibition of his presumed soon to be Augustus powers, staged a chariot race in Constantinople's
Hippodrome
and crowned the victor, an honor reserved only for those that are Augustus. This insolence of Gallus enraged Constantius, further adding to his dislike for the upstart Caesar. In an attempt to further isolate Gallus from any form of military protection, Constantius had the garrisons removed from the towns in Gallus's path.
When Gallus arrived to
Poetovio
in
Noricum
,
Barbatio
, an officer who had been supporting Gallus' dismissal within Constantius' court, surrounded the palace of the caesar and arrested him, stripping Gallus of the imperial robes, but assuring him that no harm would come to him. Gallus was led to
Pola
, Istria (now Pula, Croatia). Here he was interrogated by some of the highest officials of Constantius' court, including the eunuch
praepositus cubiculi
Eusebius and the
agens in rebus
Apodemius
. Gallus tried to put the blame of all of his actions on Constantina, but Constantius sentenced him to death; The emperor later changed his mind, and ordered the caesar to be spared, but Eusebius ordered that the news was not to reach the executioners.
Maximian
(
Latin
:
Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius Augustus
; c. 250 – c. July 310) was
Roman Emperor
from 286 to 305. He was
Caesar
from 285 to 286, then
Augustus
from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior,
Diocletian
, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at
Trier
but spent most of his time on campaign. In late 285, he suppressed rebels in Gaul known as the
Bagaudae
. From 285 to 288, he fought against
Germanic tribes
along the
Rhine
frontier. Together with Diocletian, he launched a
scorched earth
campaign deep into
Alamannic
territory in 288, temporarily relieving the Rhine provinces from the threat of Germanic invasion.
The man he appointed to police the
Channel
shores,
Carausius
, rebelled in 286, causing the secession of Britain and northwestern Gaul. Maximian failed to oust Carausius, and his invasion fleet was destroyed by storms in 289 or 290. Maximian's subordinate,
Constantius
, campaigned against Carausius' successor,
Allectus
, while Maximian held the
Rhine frontier
. The rebel leader was ousted in 296, and Maximian moved south to combat piracy near
Hispania
and
Berber
incursions in
Mauretania
. When these campaigns concluded in 298, he departed for Italy, where he lived in comfort until 305. At Diocletian's behest, Maximian abdicated on May 1, 305, gave the Augustan office to Constantius, and retired to southern Italy.
In late 306, Maximian took the title of Augustus again and aided his son
Maxentius
' rebellion in Italy. In April 307, he attempted to depose his son, but failed and fled to the court of Constantius' successor,
Constantine
(Maximian's step-grandson and son-in-law), in Trier. At the Council of
Carnuntum
in November 308, Diocletian and his successor,
Galerius
, forced Maximian to renounce his imperial claim again. In early 310, Maximian attempted to seize Constantine's title while the emperor was on campaign on the Rhine. Few supported him, and he was captured by Constantine in Marseille. Maximian killed himself in mid-310 on Constantine's orders. During Constantine's war with Maxentius, Maximian's image was purged from all public places. However, after Constantine ousted and killed Maxentius, Maximian's image was rehabilitated, and he was deified.
Licinius I
(
Latin
:
Gaius Valerius Licinianus Licinius Augustus
c. 263 – 325), was
Roman Emperor
from 308 to 324. For the majority of his reign he was the colleague and rival of
Constantine I
, with whom he co-authored the
Edict of Milan
that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire. He was finally defeated at the
Battle of Chrysopolis
, before being executed on the orders of Constantine I.
Sculptural portraits of Licinius (left) and his rival
Constantine I
(right).
Early reign
Born to a
Dacian
peasant family in
Moesia
Superior, Licinius accompanied his close childhood friend, the future emperor
Galerius
, on the Persian expedition in 298. He was trusted enough by Galerius that in 307 he was sent as an envoy to
Maxentius
in
Italy
to attempt to reach some agreement about his illegitimate status. Galerius then trusted the eastern provinces to Licinius when he went to deal with Maxentius personally after the death of
Flavius Valerius Severus
.
Upon his return to the east Galerius elevated Licinius to the rank of
Augustus in the West
on November 11, 308. He received as his immediate command the provinces of
Illyricum
,
Thrace
and
Pannonia
. In 310 he took command of the war against the
Sarmatians
, inflicting a severe defeat on them and emerging victorious. On the death of Galerius in May 311, Licinius entered into an agreement with
Maximinus II
(Daia) to share the eastern provinces between them. By this point, not only was Licinius the official
Augustus
of the west, but he also possessed part of the eastern provinces as well, as the
Hellespont
and the
Bosporus
became the dividing line, with Licinius taking the European provinces and Maximinus taking the Asian.
An alliance between Maximinus and Maxentius forced the two remaining emperors to enter into a formal agreement with each other. So in March 313 Licinius married
Flavia Julia Constantia
, half-sister of
Constantine I
, at Mediolanum (now
Milan
); they had a son,
Licinius the Younger
, in 315. Their marriage was the occasion for the jointly-issued "
Edict of Milan
" that reissued Galerius' previous edict allowing
Christianity
to be professed in the Empire, with additional dispositions that restored confiscated properties to Christian congregations and exempted Christian clergy from municipal civic duties.
[8]
The redaction of the edict as reproduced by
Lactantius
- who follows the text affixed by Licinius in
Nicomedia
on June 14 313, after Maximinus' defeat - uses a neutral language, expressing a will to propitiate "any Divinity whatsoever in the seat of the heavens".
Coin of Licinius
Daia in the meantime decided to attack Licinius. Leaving Syria with 70,000 men, he reached
Bithynia
, although harsh weather he encountered along the way had gravely weakened his army. In April 313, he crossed the
Bosporus
and went to
Byzantium
, which was held by Licinius' troops. Undeterred, he took the town after an eleven-day siege. He moved to Heraclea, which he captured after a short siege, before moving his forces to the first posting station. With a much smaller body of men, possibly around 30,000,
[10]
Licinius arrived at
Adrianople
while Daia was still besieging
Heraclea
. Before the decisive engagement, Licinius allegedly had a vision in which an angel recited him a generic prayer that could be adopted by all cults and which Licinius then repeated to his soldiers.
[11]
On 30 April 313, the two armies clashed at the
Battle of Tzirallum
, and in the ensuing battle Daia's forces were crushed. Ridding himself of the imperial purple and dressing like a slave, Daia fled to
Nicomedia
. Believing he still had a chance to come out victorious, Daia attempted to stop the advance of Licinius at the
Cilician Gates
by establishing fortifications there. Unfortunately for Daia, Licinius' army succeeded in breaking through, forcing Daia to retreat to
Tarsus
where Licinius continued to press him on land and sea. The war between them only ended with Daia’s death in August 313.
Given that Constantine had already crushed his rival Maxentius in 312, the two men decided to divide the Roman world between them. As a result of this settlement, Licinius became sole Augustus in the East, while his brother-in-law, Constantine, was supreme in the West. Licinius immediately rushed to the east to deal with another threat, this time from the Persian
Sassanids
.
Conflict with Constantine I
In 314, a civil war erupted between Licinius and Constantine, in which Constantine used the pretext that Licinius was harbouring Senecio, whom Constantine accused of plotting to overthrow him. Constantine prevailed at the
Battle of Cibalae
in
Pannonia
(October 8, 314).
[6]
Although the situation was temporarily settled, with both men sharing the
consulship
in 315, it was but a lull in the storm. The next year a new war erupted, when Licinius named
Valerius Valens
co-emperor, only for Licinius to suffer a humiliating defeat on the plain of
Mardia
(also known as
Campus Ardiensis
) in
Thrace
. The emperors were reconciled after these two battles and Licinius had his co-emperor Valens killed.
Over the next ten years, the two imperial colleagues maintained an uneasy truce. Licinius kept himself busy with a campaign against the Sarmatians in 318, but temperatures rose again in 321 when Constantine pursued some Sarmatians, who had been ravaging some territory in his realm, across the Danube into what was technically Licinius’s territory. When he repeated this with another invasion, this time by the
Goths
who were pillaging
Thrace
, Licinius complained that Constantine had broken the treaty between them.
Constantine wasted no time going on the offensive. Licinius's fleet of 350 ships was defeated by Constantine I's fleet in 323. Then in 324, Constantine, tempted by the "advanced age and unpopular vices" of his colleague, again declared war against him, and, having defeated his army of 170,000 men at the
Battle of Adrianople
(July 3, 324), succeeded in shutting him up within the walls of
Byzantium
.
[6]
The defeat of the superior fleet of Licinius in the
Battle of the Hellespont
by
Crispus
, Constantine’s eldest son and
Caesar
, compelled his withdrawal to
Bithynia
, where a last stand was made; the
Battle of Chrysopolis
, near
Chalcedon
(September 18), resulted in Licinius' final submission. While Licinius' co-emperor
Sextus Martinianus
was killed, Licinius himself was spared due to the pleas of his wife, Constantine's sister, and interned at
Thessalonica
. The next year, Constantine had him hanged, accusing him of conspiring to raise troops among the barbarians.
Character and legacy
Constantine made every effort to blacken the reputation of his imperial colleague. To this end, stories began circulating about Licinius’s cruelty. It was said that he had put to death Severianus, the son of the emperor Severus, as well as Candidianus, the son of Galerius. To this was added the execution of the wife and daughter of the Emperor
Diocletian
, who had fled from the court of Licinius before being discovered at
Thessalonica
. Much of this can be considered imperial propaganda on the part of Constantine.
In addition, as part of Constantine’s attempts to decrease Licinius’s popularity, he actively portrayed his brother-in-law as a pagan supporter. This was not the case; contemporary evidence tends to suggest that he was at least a committed supporter of Christians. He co-authored the Edict of Milan which ended the
Great Persecution
, and re-affirmed the rights of Christians in his half of the empire. He also added the Christian symbol to his armies, and attempted to regulate the affairs of the Church hierarchy just as Constantine and his successors were to do. His wife was a devout Christian. It is even a possibility that he converted. However,
Eusebius of Caesarea
, writing under the rule of Constantine, charges him with expelling Christians from the Palace and ordering military sacrifice, as well as interfering with the Church's internal procedures and organization. According to Eusebius, this turned what appeared to be a committed Christian into a man who feigned sympathy for the sect but who eventually exposed his true bloodthirsty pagan nature, only to be stopped by the virtuous Constantine.
Finally, on Licinius’s death, his memory was branded with infamy; his statues were thrown down; and by edict, all his laws and judicial proceedings during his reign were abolished
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