ROMAN TETRARCHY Maximian AD 286-310 BI Nummus/Nude Genius NGC (021)

ROMAN TETRARCHY



Maximian - Roman Emperor AD 286-310



BI Nummus

GRADED NGC



Obverse: Laureate head right.

Reverse: Genius standing left, modius

on head, naked except for chlamys

over left shoulder , holding patera from which liquid flows, and cornucopia,



Genius. The name comes probably from Lat.

gignere, because this deity was assigned to each human when he was conceived or

he was taken under his protection (Varro), or he has created us himself or has

been created together with us (Apuleius).

It's clear, that the Romans tried to integrate the Genius into their mythology.

His parents should have been Jupiter and Gaea, who has born him, after Jupiter

has created him when he was asleep. Others suggest that he was a son of the gods

and the father of men. In any case all suggest that the Genii - there are many

of them! - take a middle position between the gods and men. As soon as a human

being was born one or two Genii were assigned to him, a white good one and a

black bad one. The good one gives him all of his good thoughts, the bad one the

contrary. Which ever is the stronger one he is the one who forms the character

of the man. Genii always appear at males. Within women there were the Junones.

The Genii stayed with their person until his death when they gave him to the

gods. According to others each man has only one Genius. The Genius handed down

his man to the court and blamed him if he was lying or praised him when he kept

the truth. According to the Genius the judgment was given to him because the

Genius knew all of his secret thoughts. Even families, cities and countries had

these guardian spirits. The Genius of Rome had a golden statue in the VIII
region.

Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus

Herculius (c. 250 – c. July 310), commonly referred to as Maximian, was Caesar

(junior Roman Emperor ) from July 285 and Augustus (senior Roman Emperor) from

April 1, 286 to Toulouse - Musée Saint-Raymond - Maximien Hercule1.jpgMay 1,

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

the late summer of 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 ran a scorched earth campaign deep into the

territory of the Alamanni tribes in 288, temporarily relieving the Rhenish

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.

Maximan's subordinate, Constantius , campaigned against Carausius' successor,

Allectus , while Maximian held the Rhenish frontier. The rebel leader was ousted

in 296, and Maximian moved south to combat Moorish pirates in Iberia 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 , 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 committed suicide in the summer of 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.

One of the members of the Tetrarchy, Maximianus had a convoluted reign that

started when he and Diocletian began ruling as equals in 286. Maximianus was in

charge of the western portion of the empire along with Constantius I, his junior

in command, while Diocletian and Galerius ruled the eastern half. After several

years of putting down revolts and usurpers, both he and Diocletian abdicated to

let their Caesars take their place in 306. However, this peaceful arrangement

would come to an end soon when Maximianus's son Maxentius initiated a revolt of

his own. Seeing that it would lend an air of legitimacy to his claims, Maxentius

requested his father to return to assume the high post along with him.

Maximianus, although possibly reluctant initially, took up his son's offer. He

had abdicated less than voluntarily under Diocletian's scheme and now he was

caught up in the fervor of Maxentius's drive to become sole ruler. In time,

Maxentius met with failure after he lost several key battles to Constantine and

Maximianus found himself in the awkward position of being an emperor with no

rightful claim nor army willing to proceed with his agenda. Increasingly

isolated, Constantine cornered him and he was either executed or committed

suicide.