ROMAN EMPIRE
GALLIENUS 253-268 AD
BI DOUBLE DENARIUS
Roman Age of Chaos
CERTIFIED BY NGC
Obverse:
Gallienus facing right, wearing a military style drape and a radiate
crown, framed by the inscription "GALLIENVS AVG," which simply means "Emperor
Gallienus."
Reverse: Salus, draped, standing right, feeding
serpent held in arms
Salus (Latin: salus, "safety", "salvation",
"welfare") was a Roman goddess. She was the goddess of safety and well-being
(welfare, health and prosperity) of both the individual and the state. She is
sometimes equated with the Greek goddess Hygieia, though her functions differ
considerably.
Salus is one of the most ancient Roman Goddesses: she is also recorded once as
Salus Semonia, a fact that might hint to her belonging to the category of the
Semones, such as god Semo Sancus Dius Fidius. This view though is disputed among
scholars. The issue is discussed in the section below. The two gods had temples
in Rome on the Collis Salutaris and Mucialis respectively, two adjacent hilltops
of the Quirinal, located in the regio known as Alta Semita. Her temple, as Salus
Publica Populi Romani, was voted in 304 BC, during the Samnite wars, by dictator
Gaius Junius Bubulcus Brutus, dedicated on 5 August 302 and adorned with frescos
at the order of Gaius Fabius Pictor.
The high antiquity and importance of her cult is testified by the little-known
ceremony of the Augurium Salutis, held every year on August 5 for the
preservation of the Roman state. Her cult was spread over all Italy. Literary
sources record relationships with Fortuna and Spes. She started to be
increasingly associated to Valetudo, the Goddess of Personal Health, which was
the real romanized name of Hygieia.
Later she became more a protector of personal health. Around 180 BCE sacrificial
rites in honour of Apollo, Aesculapius, and Salus took place there (Livius XL,
37). There was a statue to Salus in the temple of Concordia. She is first known
to be associated with the snake of Aesculapius from a coin of 55 BC minted by M.
Acilius. Her festival was celebrated on March 30.
Gallienus was Emperor of the Roman Empire
from AD 253-268, sharing the throne with his father Valerian until AD 260, then
as sole ruler until his death in AD 268. Based upon the inscriptions, this
Billon Double-Denarius of Gallienus was struck during his solitary reign, AD
260-268. The Romans typically used doubled letters to indicate plurality.
Coinage of Gallienus minted during his joint reign are inscribed "AVGG" (two
emperors), while later coins bear the inscription "AVG."
Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ( c. 218
– September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and
alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that
nearly caused the collapse of the empire. He won a number of military victories
against usurpers and Germanic tribes, but was unable to prevent the secession of
important provinces. His 15-year reign was the longest in half a century.
Born into a wealthy and traditional senatorial family, Gallienus was the son of
Valerian and Mariniana. Valerian became Emperor in September 253 and had the
Roman senate elevate Gallienus to the ranks of Caesar and Augustus. Valerian
divided the empire between him and his son, with Valerian ruling the east and
his son the west. Gallienus defeated the usurper Ingenuus in 258 and destroyed
an Alemanni army at Mediolanum in 259.
The defeat and capture of Valerian at Edessa in 260 by the Sasanian Empire threw
the Roman Empire into the chaos of civil war. Control of the whole empire passed
to Gallienus. He defeated the eastern usurpers Macrianus Major and Lucius
Mussius Aemilianus in 261–262 but failed to stop the formation of the breakaway
Gallic Empire under general Postumus. Aureolus, another usurper, proclaimed
himself emperor in Mediolanum in 268 but was defeated outside the city by
Gallienus and besieged inside. While the siege was ongoing, Gallienus was
assassinated, stabbed to death by the officer Cecropius, as part of a
conspiracy.
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