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Gordian III
–
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. –
Bronze 21mm (3.58 grams) of
Deultum
in
Thrace
Reference: Jurokova 262; SNG Bobokov 1379-1382; Varbanov 2848
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, Luareate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
COL FL PAC DEVLT, Serapis
standing within
temple
in three-dimensional style.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
Serapis is a Graeco-Egyptian god. Serapis was devised during the
3rd century BC on the orders of
Ptolemy I of Egypt
as a means to unify the
Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance,
but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography from a great many cults,
signifying both abundance and resurrection. A
serapeum
(Greek serapeion) was any
temple or religious precinct devoted to Serapis. The
cultus
of Serapis was spread as a matter of
deliberate policy by the
Ptolemaic kings
, who also built an immense
Serapeum in Alexandria.
Serapis continued to increase in popularity during the
Roman period
, often replacing
Osiris
as the consort of
Isis in temples outside Egypt. In 389, a mob led by the
Patriarch
Theophilus of Alexandria
destroyed the
Alexandrian Serapeum, but the cult survived until all forms of religion other
than
Nicene Christianity
were suppressed or
abolished under
Theodosius I
in 391.
About the god
This pendant bearing Serapis’s likeness would have been worn by a
member of elite Egyptian society.
Walters Art Museum
,
Baltimore
.
“Serapis” is the only form used in Latin, but both
Ancient Greek
:
Σάραπις Sárapis and
Ancient Greek
:
Σέραπις Sérapis appear in Greek, as well as
Ancient Greek
:
Σαραπo Serapo in Bactrian.
His most renowned temple was the
Serapeum of Alexandria
. Under
Ptolemy Soter
, efforts were made to integrate
Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy’s policy was to
find a deity that should win the reverence alike of both groups, despite the
curses of the Egyptian priests against the gods of the previous foreign rulers
(e.g.
Set
, who was lauded by the
Hyksos
).
Alexander the Great
had attempted to use
Amun for this purpose, but he was more prominent in
Upper Egypt
, and not as popular with those in
Lower Egypt
, where the Greeks had stronger
influence. The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a
Greek-style
anthropomorphic
statue was chosen as the
idol
, and proclaimed as the equivalent of the
highly popular
Apis
. It was named Aser-hapi (i.e.
Osiris-Apis), which became Serapis, and was said to be
Osiris
in full, rather than just his
Ka
(life force).
History
The earliest mention of a Serapis is in the disputed death scene of Alexander
(323 BC). Here, Serapis has a temple at
Babylon
, and is of such importance that he
alone is named as being consulted on behalf of the dying king. His presence in
Babylon would radically alter perceptions of the mythologies of this era: the
unconnected Babylonian god Ea (Enki)
was titled Serapsi, meaning ‘king of the deep’, and it is possible this
Serapis is the one referred to in the diaries. The significance of this Serapsi
in the Hellenic psyche, due to its involvement in Alexander’s death, may have
also contributed to the choice of Osiris-Apis as the chief Ptolemaic god.
According to Plutarch
, Ptolemy stole the
cult statue
from
Sinope
, having been instructed in a dream by
the “unknown
god” to bring the statue to
Alexandria
, where the statue was pronounced to
be Serapis by two religious experts. One of the experts was of the
Eumolpidae
, the ancient family from whose
members the hierophant
of the
Eleusinian Mysteries
had been chosen since
before history, and the other was the scholarly Egyptian priest
Manetho
, which gave weight to the judgement
both for the Egyptians
and the Greeks.
Plutarch may not be correct, however, as some Egyptologists allege that the
Sinope in the tale is really the hill of Sinopeion, a name given to the site of
the already existing
Serapeum
at
Memphis
. Also, according to
Tacitus
, Serapis (i.e., Apis explicitly
identified as Osiris in full) had been the god of the village of
Rhakotis
before it expanded into the great
capital of Alexandria.
High Clerk in the Cult of Serapis,
Altes Museum
,
Berlin
The statue suitably depicted a figure resembling
Hades
or
Pluto
, both being kings of the Greek
underworld
, and was shown enthroned with the
modius
, a basket/grain-measure, on his head,
since it was a Greek
symbol
for the land of the dead. He also held a
sceptre
in his hand indicating his rulership,
with Cerberus
, gatekeeper of the underworld, resting
at his feet, and it also had what appeared to be a
serpent
at its base, fitting the Egyptian
symbol of rulership, the
uraeus
.
With his (i.e. Osiris’s) wife
Isis, and their son
Horus
(in the form of
Harpocrates
), Serapis won an important place in
the
Greek world
. In his Description of Greece,
Pausanias notes two Serapeia on the slopes of
Acrocorinth
, above the rebuilt Roman city of
Corinth
and one at Copae in Boeotia.
Serapis was among the
international deities
whose cult was received
and disseminated throughout the Roman Empire, with
Anubis
sometimes identified with Cerberus. At
Rome, Serapis was worshiped in the Iseum Campense, the sanctuary of Isis built
during the
Second Triumvirate
in the
Campus Martius
. The Roman cults of Isis and
Serapis gained in popularity late in the 1st century when
Vespasian
experienced events he attributed to
their miraculous agency while he was in Alexandria, where he stayed before
returning to Rome as emperor in 70. From the
Flavian Dynasty
on, Serapis was one of the
deities who might appear on imperial coinage with the reigning emperor.
The main cult at Alexandria survived until the late 4th century, when a
Christian mob destroyed the Serapeum of Alexandria
in 385, and the cult was part of the general proscription of religions other
than approved forms of Christianity under the
Theodosian decree
.
Gallery
-
Oil lamp with a bust of Serapis, flanked by a crescent moon and star
(Roman-era
Ephesus
, 100-150)
-
Statuette possibly of Serapis (but note the
herculean
club) from
Begram
,
Afghanistan
-
Head of Serapis, from a 12-foot statue found off the coast of
Alexandria
-
Head of Serapis (Roman-era Hellenistic terracotta, Staatliches
Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, Munich)
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius (January
20, 225
–
February
11
, 244
),
known in
English
as Gordian III,
 was
Roman
Emperor
from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of
Antonia Gordiana
and his father was an unnamed Roman Senator who died before
238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor
Gordian I
and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II
.
Very little is known on his early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian
had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238.
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander Severus
in Moguntiacum (modern
Mainz
), the
capital of the
Roman province
Germania Inferior
,
Maximinus Thrax
was acclaimed emperor, despite strong opposition of the
Roman senate
and the majority of the population. In response to what was
considered in Rome as a rebellion, Gordian’s grandfather and uncle, Gordian I
and II, were proclaimed joint emperors in the
Africa Province
. Their revolt was suppressed within a month by Cappellianus,
governor of Numidia
and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died,
but public opinion cherished their memory as peace loving and literate men,
victims of Maximinus’ oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on Rome and
the Senate elected
Pupienus
and Balbinus
as joint emperors. These senators were not popular men and the population of
Rome was still shocked by the elder Gordian’s fate, so that the Senate decided
to take the teenager Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus as his
grandfather, and raise him to the rank of
Caesar
and imperial heir.
Pupienus
and Balbinus
defeated Maximinus, mainly due to the defection of several
legions
,
namely the
Parthica II
who assassinated Maximinus. But their joint reign was
doomed from the start with popular riots, military discontent and even an
enormous fire that consumed Rome in June 238. On
July 29
,
Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by the
Praetorian guard
and Gordian proclaimed sole emperor.
Rule
Due to Gordian’s age, the imperial government was surrendered
to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of Rome through the
senate. In 240,
Sabinianus
revolted in the African province, but the situation was dealt quickly. In 241,
Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia
Tranquillina
, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect,
Timesitheus
. As chief of the Praetorian guard and father in law of the
emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the de facto ruler of the Roman
empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened against the
Germanic tribes across the
Rhine
and
Danube
, and the
Sassanid
kingdom across the
Euphrates
increased its own attacks. When the Persians under
Shapur I
invaded Mesopotamia
, the young emperor opened the doors of the
Temple of Janus
for the last time in Roman history, and sent a huge army to
the East. The Sassanids were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the
Battle of Resaena
(243). The campaign was a success and Gordian, who had
joined the army, was planning an invasion of the enemy’s territory, when his
father-in-law died in unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign,
and the emperor’s security, were at risk.
Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as
Philip the Arab
, stepped in at this moment as the new Praetorian Prefect and
the campaign proceeded. In the beginning of 244, the Persians counter-attacked.
Persian sources claim that a battle was fought (Battle
of Misiche) near modern
Fallujah
(Iraq)
and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III[1].
Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away,
upstream of the Euphrates. Although ancient sources often described Philip, who
succeeded Gordian as emperor, as having murdered Gordian at Zaitha (Qalat es
Salihiyah), the cause of Gordian’s death is unknown.
Gordian’s youth and good nature, along with the deaths of his
grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands of another usurper,
granted him the everlasting esteem of the Romans. Despite the opposition of the
new emperor, Gordian was deified by the Senate after his death, in order to
appease the population and avoid riots.
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