c 253-268 AD - GALLIENUS - Billon Silver Double Denarius

$135.00

Billon Silver Double Denarius - Ancient Rome

Ruler: Gallienus - Augustus 253-268 AD

Obv: "GALLIENVS AVG"  Radiate bust of Gallienus facing left.

Rev: "VIRTVS AVG"  – Emperor right, with spear & globe

Mint: Antioch (struck 265 AD)

S-R10406V, 20mm, 3.84gm

Scarcer type with bust left. - well centered with significant silvering remaining.

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. The capture of Valerian in the year 259 forced Gallienus to issue the first official declaration of tolerance with regard to the Christians, restoring their places of worship and cemeteries. He won a number of military victories against Germanic tribes and usurpers, but was unable to prevent the secession of important provinces.

He contributed to military history as the first to commission primarily cavalry units, the Comitatenses, that could be dispatched anywhere in the Empire in short order. This reform arguably created a precedent for the future  emperors Diocletian and Constantine I. The biographer Aurelius Victor reported that Gallienus forbade senators from becoming military commanders. This policy undermined senatorial power, as more reliable equestrian commanders rose to prominence. These reforms and the decline in senatorial influence make Gallienus one of the emperors most responsible for the creation of the "Dominate", along with Septimius Severus, Diocletian, and Constantine I.

In September 268, while he was besieging the usurper Aureolus in Milan, Gallieinus was assasinated by a group of his officers, including the future emperors Claudius II and Aurelian.

  • Inventory# PA-3290