CLAUDIUS II Gothicus 268AD Ancient Roman Coin Annona Ceres grain supply i34497

Item: i34497

  

Authentic Ancient 
Coin of:

Claudius II – Roman Emperor: 268-270 A.D.
Bronze Antoninianus 20mm (3.64 grams)
Struck at the mint of Rome 268-270 A.D.
Reference: RIC 19f, C 22
IMPCLAVDIVSAVG – Radiate, cuirassed bust right.
ANNONAAVG – Annona standing left, holding grain ears over modius and cornucopia.

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In
ancient Roman religion, Annona (from
Latin annus, year is the divine
personification of the
grain supply to the city of Rome. She is 
closely connected to the goddess
Ceres, with whom she is often depicted in
art.

Annona, often as Annona
Augusti, was a creation of 
Imperial religious propaganda, manifested in
iconography and cult practice. She is presented 
as an 
epiphany of the
emperor’s power to care for his people through 
the provision of grain. Annona thus lacked
narrative mythology or a
tradition of devotion in the
Roman Republic, but once established as part of
Imperial cult, she was the recipient of
dedications and votive offerings from private 
individuals motivated by gratitude or the seeking of favor.

Imperial cult

In the propaganda of
Claudius, the cult of Ceres Augusta made 
explicit the divine power that lay in the Imperial provision of the annona, 
the grain supply to the city. Annona Augusti appears on
coins late in the reign of
Nero, when the Cult of Virtues came into prominence in the wake of 
the
Pisonian conspiracy. She embodied two of the 
material benefits of
Imperial rule, along with Securitas Augusti, 
“Augustan Security,” and often appeared as part of a pair with Ceres. On 
Neronian coinage, Ceres, Annona, and
Abundantia (“Abundance”) were closely 
associated.

Annona also appears on coins issued under
Vespasian, where along with other Virtues she 
represents the restoration of confidence in the
principate, and on the coinage of
Titus,
Domitian,
Trajan,
Hadrian,
Antoninus Pius, and
Septimius Severus. She was a particular 
favorite in Trajan’s propaganda, which sought to portray his reign as a renewal 
and a prosperous new era for mankind; hence Annona often appears with a symbolic 
child. In the context of Trajanic politics, Annona represented Rome’s grain 
independence from its traditional supplier
Egypt.

Iconography

Annona is typically depicted with a
cornucopia (horn of plenty) in her arm, and a 
ship’s prow in the background, alluding to the transport of grain into the 
harbor of Rome. On coins, she frequently stands between a
modius (grain-measure) and the prow of a 
galley, with ears of grain in one hand and a 
cornucopia in the other; sometimes she holds a
rudder or an
anchor

Claudius III (Latin:
Marcus Aurelius Valerius Claudius Augustus; 
May 10, 213 – January 270), commonly known as Claudius Gothicus, was
Roman Emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign 
he fought successfully against the
Alamanni and scored a crushing victory against 
the 
Goths at the
Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to 
a
plague (perhaps smallpox) that ravaged the 
provinces of the Empire.
Life

Origin and rise to 
power

Claudius’ origin is uncertain. Born on May 10, 213, he was either from
Sirmium in
Pannonia Inferior or from
Naissus
Dardania (in
Moesia Superior).

Claudius had served with the Roman army for all his adult life, making his 
way up the military hierarchy until the Emperor
Gallienus made him the commander of his elite
cavalry force (hipparchos) and 
subsequently his military deputy.In September 268 he found himself assigned as a 
military tribune with the Imperial Army besieging the usurper
Aureolus in
Milan. His troops then proclaimed him Emperor 
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.It is possible Claudius gained his position and the respect of the 
soldiers by being physically strong and especially cruel. A legend tells of 
Claudius knocking out a horse’s teeth with one punch. When Claudius performed as 
a wrestler in the 250s, he supposedly knocked out the teeth of his opponent when 
his genitalia had been grabbed in the match.