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Claudius II – Roman Emperor: 268-270 A.D.
Bronze Antoninianus 21mm (3.59 grams) Cyzicus mint, 268-270 AD.
Reference: RIC 247, Cohen 289.
IMP CLAVDIVS P F AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right, (sometimes 1-3
dots beneeath bust) / VICTOR GERMAN, two captives bound and seated back to back
either side of trophy.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
A trophy is a reward for a specific achievement, and serves as
recognition or evidence of merit.
A tropaion (Greek:
τρόπαιον,
Latin
:
tropaeum), whence English “trophy”
is an ancient Greek
and later
Roman
monument set up to commemorate a victory
over one’s foes. Typically this takes the shape of a tree, sometimes with a pair
of arm-like branches (or, in later times, a pair of stakes set crosswise) upon
which is hung the armour
of a defeated and dead foe. The
tropaion is then dedicated to a
god
in thanksgiving for the victory.
A Roman tropaeum from the
Dacian Wars
(Trajan’s
Column 113 CE, note the tree trunk with arm-like
branches)
Greece
In the Greek city-states
of the
Archaic
period, the tropaion would be
set up on the battlefield itself, usually at the site of the “turning point”
(Gk. tropê) at which the routed enemy’s
phalanx
broke, turned and ran. It would be
dressed in the typical
hoplite
panoply
of the period, including (at different
times), a
helmet
,
cuirass
(either of
bronze
or
linen
), and a number of
shields
,etc, would be piled about the base. It
remained on the battlefield until the following season’s campaigns (since
battles were often fought in the same, relatively few plains amid Greece’s
numerous mountains), where it might be replaced with a new trophy.
In later eras in the Greek world, these tropaia might be vowed at the
battle-site, but in fact erected at
pan-Hellenic
sanctuaries such as
Olympia
or
Delphi
to further increase the prestige of the
victorious state.
The significance of the monument is a ritualistic notification of “victory”
to the defeated enemies. Since warfare in the Greek world was largely a
ritualistic affair in the archaic hoplite-age (see
Hanson
, The Western Way of War for
further elaboration of this idea), the monument is used to reinforce the
symbolic capital
of the victory in the Greek
community.
Ancient sources attest to the great deal of significance that early Greek
cities placed upon symbols and ritual as linked to warfare–the story involving
the bones of Orestes
, for example, in
Herodotus
1 which go beyond the ritualistic
properties to even magically ‘guaranteeing’ the
Spartan
victory, displays the same sort of
interest in objects and symbols of power as they relate to military success or
failure.
Rome
The tropaeum in Rome, on the other hand, would probably not be
set up on the battle-site itself, but rather displayed prominently in the city
of Rome. Romans were less concerned about impressing foreign powers or military
rivals than they were in using military success to further their own
political careers
inside the city, especially
during the later years of the
Republic
. A tropaeum displayed on the
battlefield does not win votes, but one brought back and displayed as part of a
triumph
can impress the citizens (who might
then vote in future elections in favor of the conqueror) or the nobles (with
whom most aristocratic Romans of the Republican period were in a constant
struggle for prestige).
The symbolism of the tropaeum became so well known that in later eras,
Romans began to simply display images of them upon sculpted reliefs (see image
and
Tropaeum Traiani
), to leave a permanent trace
of the victory in question rather than the temporary monument of the tropaeum
itself.
Originally the word trophy, derived from the Latin
tropaion
, referred to arms, standards,
other property, or human captives and body parts (e.g.
headhunting
) captured in battle. These
war trophies
commemorated the military
victories of a state, army or individual combatant. In modern warfare trophy
taking is discouraged, but this sense of the word is reflected in
hunting trophies
and
human trophy collecting
by
serial killers
.
Trophies have marked victories since ancient times. The word trophy
coined in English in 1550, was derived from the French trophée in 1513,
“a prize of war”, from Old French trophee, from Latin trophaeum,
monument to victory, variant of tropaeum, which in turn is the
latinisation
of the
Greek
τρόπαιον (tropaion),
the neuter of τροπαῖος (tropaios), “of defeat” or “for defeat”, but
generally “of a turning” or “of a change”,[3]
from τροπή (tropē), “a turn, a change”[4]
and that from the verb τρέπω (trepo), “to turn, to alter”.[5][6]
In ancient Greece, trophies were made on the battlefields of victorious
battles, from captured arms and standards, and were hung upon a tree or a large
stake made to resemble a warrior. Often, these ancient trophies were inscribed
with a story of the battle and were dedicated to various gods. Trophies made
about naval victories sometimes consisted of entire ships (or what remained of
them) laid out on the beach. To destroy a trophy was considered a sacrilege.[7]
The ancient Romans kept their trophies closer to home. The Romans built
magnificent trophies in Rome, including columns and arches atop a foundation.
Most of the stone trophies that once adorned huge stone memorials in Rome have
been long since stolen
Marcus Aurelius Claudius (May
10, 213
– January, 270), often referred to as Claudius Gothicus or Claudius II,
was a Roman Emperor
. He ruled the
Roman
Empire
for less than two years (268 – 270), but during that brief time he
managed to obtain some successes. He was later given divine status.
//
Life
Origin
and rise to power
Claudius’ origin is uncertain. He was either from
Sirmium
(Syrmia;
in Pannonia
Inferior) or from Naissus
Dardania
(in
Moesia Superior
); both areas are located in
Serbia
.
Claudius was the commander of the Roman army that decisively defeated the
Goths
at the
Battle of Naissus
in September 268; in the same month, he attained the
throne, amid charges, never proven, that he murdered his predecessor
Gallienus
.
However, he soon proved to be less than bloodthirsty, as he asked the
Roman
Senate
to spare the lives of Gallienus’ family and supporters. He was less
magnanimous toward Rome’s enemies, however, and it was to this that he owed his
popularity.
Claudius, like
Maximinus Thrax
before him, was of barbarian birth. After an interlude of
failed aristocratic Roman emperors since Maximinus’s death, Claudius was the
first in a series of tough soldier-emperors who would eventually restore the
Empire from the
Crisis of the third century
.
Claudius
as emperor
At the time of his accession, the Roman Empire was in serious danger from
several incursions, both within and outside its borders. The most pressing of
these was an invasion of Illyricum and
Pannonia
by
the Goths
. Not
long after being named emperor (or just prior to Gallienus’ death, depending on
the source), he won his greatest victory, and one of the greatest in the history
of Roman arms.
The Roman Empire in 268 A.D
At the
Battle of Naissus
, Claudius and his legions routed a huge Gothic army.
Together with his cavalry commander, the future Emperor
Aurelian
,
the Romans took thousands of prisoners, destroyed the Gothic cavalry as a force
and stormed their laager (a circular alignment of wagons long favored by the
Goths). The victory earned Claudius his surname of “Gothicus” (conqueror of the
Goths), and that is how he is known to this day. More importantly, the Goths
were soon driven back across the
Danube River
, and a century passed before they again posed a serious threat
to the empire.
While this was going on, the Germanic tribe known as the
Alamanni
had crossed the Alps
and attacked the empire. Claudius responded quickly, routing the Alamanni at the
Battle of Lake Benacus
in the late fall of 268, a few months after the
battle of Naissus. He then turned on the
Gallic Empire
, ruled by a pretender for the past fifteen years and
encompassing
Britain
, Gaul
,
and the
Iberian Peninsula
. He won several victories and soon regained control of
Spain and the Rhone river valley of Gaul. This set the stage for the ultimate
destruction of the Gallic Empire under Aurelian.
However, Claudius did not live long enough to fulfill his goal of reuniting
all the lost territories of the empire. Late in 269 he was preparing to go to
war against the Vandals
, who were raiding in
Pannonia
.
However, he fell victim to the
Plague of Cyprian
(possibly
smallpox
),
and died early in January 270. Before his death, he is thought to have named
Aurelian as his successor, although Claudius’ brother
Quintillus
briefly seized power.
The Senate
immediately deified Claudius as “Divus Claudius Gothicus”.
Links
to
Constantinian dynasty
The
Historia Augusta
reports Claudius and Quintillus having another brother
named Crispus and through him a niece. Said niece Claudia reportedly married
Eutropius and was mother to
Constantius Chlorus
. Historians however suspect this account to be a
genealogical
fabrication intended to link
Constantine I
‘s family to that of a well-respected emperor.
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