Claudius II Gothicus 268AD Rare Ancient Roman Coin Fides Trust Standard i55920

Item: i55920

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Claudius II
Gothicus –
Roman Emperor
: 268-270 A.D.

Bronze Antoninianus 20mm (3.13 grams) Rome mint: 268 A.D.
Reference: RIC 36f, C 87
IMPCCLAVDIVSAVG – Radiate, cuirassed bust right.
 FIDESEXERCI  –
Fides
 standing left, holding standard in either hand.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

Standards

Roman military standards. The standards with discs, or signa
(first three on left) belong to centuriae of the
legion (the image does not show the heads of the standards – whether
spear-head or wreathed-palm). Note (second from right) the
legion’s
aquila
. The standard on the
extreme right probably portrays the
She-wolf
(lupa) which fed
Romulus
, the legendary founder of
Rome. (This was the emblem of
Legio VI Ferrata
, a legion then
based in
Judaea
, a detachment of which is
known to have fought in Dacia). Detail from Trajan’s Column, Rome

Modern reenactors parade with replicas of various legionary
standards. From left to right: signum (spear-head type), with
four discs; signum (wreathed-palm type), with six discs;
imago of ruling emperor; legionary aquila; vexillum
of commander (legatus) of
Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix
, with
embroidered name and emblem (Capricorn) of legion

Each tactical unit in the imperial army, from centuria upwards, had
its own standard. This consisted of a pole with a variety of adornments that was
borne by dedicated standard-bearers who normally held the rank of duplicarius.
Military standards had the practical use of communicating to unit members where
the main body of the unit was situated, so that they would not be separated, in
the same way that modern tour-group guides use umbrellas or flags. But military
standards were also invested with a mystical quality, representing the divine
spirit (genius) of the unit and were revered as such (soldiers frequently
prayed before their standards). The loss of a unit’s standard to the enemy was
considered a terrible stain on the unit’s honour, which could only be fully
expunged by its recovery.

The standard of a centuria was known as a signum, which was
borne by the unit’s signifer. It consisted of a pole topped by either an
open palm of a human hand or by a spear-head. The open palm, it has been
suggested, originated as a symbol of the
maniple
(manipulus = “handful”), the
smallest tactical unit in the
Roman army of the mid-Republic
. The poles were
adorned with two to six silver discs (the significance of which is uncertain).
In addition, the pole would be adorned by a variety of cross-pieces (including,
at bottom, a crescent-moon symbol and a tassel). The standard would also
normally sport a cross-bar with tassels.

The standard of a Praetorian cohort or an auxiliary cohort or ala was
known as a vexillum
or banner. This was a square flag,
normally red in colour, hanging from a crossbar on the top of the pole. Stitched
on the flag would be the name of the unit and/or an image of a god. An exemplar
found in Egypt bears an image of the goddess Victory on a red background. The
vexillum was borne by a vexillarius. A legionary detachment (vexillatio)
would also have its own vexillum. Finally, a vexillum
traditionally marked the commander’s position on the battlefield.^[194]
The exception to the red colour appears to have been the Praetorian Guard, whose
vexilla, similar to their clothing, favoured a blue background.

From the time of
Marius
(consul 107 BC), the standard of all
legions was the
aquila
(“eagle”). The pole was surmounted
by a sculpted eagle of solid gold, or at least gold-plated silver, carrying
thunderbolts in its claws (representing
Jupiter
, the highest Roman god. Otherwise the
pole was unadorned. No exemplar of a legionary eagle has ever been found
(doubtless because any found in later centuries were melted down for their gold
content). The eagle was borne by the aquilifer, the legion’s most senior
standard-bearer. So important were legionary eagles as symbols of Roman military
prestige and power, that the imperial government would go to extraordinary
lengths to recover those captured by the enemy. This would include launching
full-scale invasions of the enemy’s territory, sometimes decades after the
eagles had been lost e.g. the expedition in 28 BC by
Marcus Licinius Crassus
against
Genucla
(Isaccea, near modern
Tulcea
, Rom., in the Danube delta region), a
fortress of the Getae
, to recover standards lost 33 years
earlier by
Gaius Antonius
, an earlier
proconsul
of
Macedonia
. Or the campaigns of AD 14-17 to
recover the three eagles lost by
Varus
in AD 6 in the
Teutoburg Forest
.

Under Augustus, it became the practice for legions to carry portraits (imagines)
of the ruling emperor and his immediate family members. An imago was
usually a bronze bust carried on top of a pole like a standard by an
imaginifer.

From around the time of Hadrian (r. 117-38), some auxiliary alae
adopted the dragon-standard (draco) commonly carried by Sarmatian cavalry
squadrons. This was a long cloth wind-sock attached to an ornate sculpture of an
open dragon’s mouth. When the bearer (draconarius) was galloping, it
would make a strong hissing-sound.

Decorations

The Roman army awarded a variety of individual decorations (dona) for
valour to its legionaries. Hasta pura was a miniature spear; phalerae
were large medal-like bronze or silver discs worn on the cuirass; armillae
were bracelets worn on the wrist; and

torques were worn round the neck, or on the cuirass. The highest
awards were the coronae (“crowns”), of which the most prestigious was the
corona civica, a crown made oak-leaves awarded for saving the life of a
fellow Roman citizen in battle. The most valuable award was the corona
muralis, a crown made of gold awarded to the first man to scale an enemy
rampart. This was awarded rarely, as such a man hardly ever survived.

There is no evidence that auxiliary common soldiers received individual
decorations like legionaries, although auxiliary officers did. Instead, the
whole regiment was honoured by a title reflecting the type of award e.g.
torquata (“awarded a torque”) or armillata (“awarded bracelets”).
Some regiments would, in the course of time, accumulate a long list of titles
and decorations e.g. cohors I Brittonum Ulpia torquata pia fidelis c.R..

In

Roman mythology

, Fides (“trust”) was the goddess of

trust

. Her Greek

equivalent was

Pistis

. Her temple on the

Capitol was where

the Roman Senate

kept state treaties with foreign countries, where Fides

protected them. She was also worshipped under the name Fides Publica Populi

Romani (“trust towards the Roman state”). She is represented by a young

woman crowned with an olive branch, with a cup or

turtle
, or a

military ensign in hand. She wears a white veil or stola; her priests wear

white.

Rome’s second king,

Numa Pompilius

instituted a yearly festival to Fides, and directed the priests to be borne to

Her temple in an arched chariot drawn by two horses and should conduct Her

services with their hands wrapped up to indicate protection.

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.

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

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.