GORDIAN III 238AD Nicaea Bithynia Legion Standards Capricorns Roman Coin i44757

Item: i44757

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Gordian III
–
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. –

Bronze 19mm (4.02 grams) from the Roman provincial city of

Nicaea
in the
province of
Bythinia

Reference: RG 715; SNG Copenhagen 526-7 var. (three standards)
M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AVΓ, Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right
NIKAEΩN, Four military standards; two surmounted by wreaths, two by
capricorns.

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item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of 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..

The place  Nicaea is said to have been colonized by

Bottiaeans
,

and to have originally borne the name of Ancore (Steph.

B. s. v.) or Helicore (Geogr. Min. p. 40, ed. Hudson); but it was

subsequently destroyed by the

Mysians
. A

few years after the death of

Alexander the Great

,

Macedonian

king

Antigonus

— who had taken control of much of

Asia Minor

upon the death of Alexander (under whom Antigonus had served as a

general) — probably after his victory over

Eumenes
, in

316 BC, rebuilt the town, and called it, after himself, Antigoneia (Greek:

Αντιγόνεια). (Steph. B. l. c.; Eustath. ad

Horn. II. ii. 863) Several other of Alexander’s generals (known together as the

Diadochi

(Latin; original Greek

DiadokhoiΔιάδοχοι/

“successors”)) later conspired to remove Antigonus, and after defeating him the

area was given to

Thessalian

general Lysimachus

(Lysimakhos) (circa 355 BC-281 BC) in 301 BC as his share

of the lands. He renamed it Nicaea (Greek:

Νίκαια

, also

transliterated

as Nikaia or Nicæa; see also

List of traditional Greek place names

), in tribute to his wife Nicaea, a

daughter of Antipater

. (Steph. B., Eustath., Strab., ll. cc.) According to another

account (Memnon, ap. Phot. Cod. 224. p. 233, ed. Bekker), Nicaea was founded by

men from

Nicaea

near

Thermopylae

, who had served in the army of Alexander the Great. The town was

built with great regularity, in the form of a square, measuring 16 stadia in

circumference; it had four gates, and all its streets intersected one another at

right angles, so that from a monument in the centre all the four gates could be

seen. (Strabo

xii. pp. 565 et seq.) This monument stood in the gymnasium, which was

destroyed by fire, but was restored with increased magnificence by the

younger Pliny

(Epist. x. 48), when he was governor of

Bithynia
.

The city was built on an important crossroads between

Galatia
and

Phrygia
, and

thus saw steady trade. Soon after the time of Lysimachus, Nicaea became a city

of great importance, and the kings of Bithynia, whose era begins in 288 BC with

Zipoetes

, often resided at Nicaea. It has already been mentioned that in the

time of Strabo it is called the metropolis of Bithynia, an honour which is also

assigned to it on some coins, though in later times it was enjoyed by

Nicomedia
.

The two cities, in fact, kept up a long and vehement dispute about the

precedence, and the 38th oration of

Dio

Chrysostomus
was expressly composed to settle the dispute. From this

oration, it appears that Nicomedia alone had a right to the title of metropolis,

but both were the first cities of the country.

The younger Pliny makes frequent mention of Nicaea and its public buildings,

which he undertook to restore when governor of Bithynia. (Epist. x. 40, 48,

etc.) It was the birthplace of the astronomer

Hipparchus

(ca. 194 BC), the mathematician and astronomer

Sporus

(ca. 240) and the historian

Dio Cassius

(ca. 165).

It was the death-place of the comedian

Philistion

. The numerous coins of Nicaea which still exist attest the

interest taken in the city by the emperors, as well as its attachment to the

rulers; many of them commemorate great festivals celebrated there in honour of

gods and emperors, as Olympia, Isthmia, Dionysia, Pythia, Commodia, Severia,

Philadelphia, etc. Throughout the imperial period, Nicaea remained an important

town; for its situation was particularly favourable, being only 40 km (25 mi)

distant from Prusa

(Pliny

v. 32), and 70 km (43 mi) from

Constantinople

. (It.

Ant. p. 141.) When Constantinople became the capital of the

Eastern Empire

, Nicaea did not lose in importance; for its present walls,

which were erected during the last period of the Empire, enclose a much greater

space than that ascribed to the place in the time of Strabo. Much of the

existing architecture and defensive works date to this time, early 300s.

Nicaea suffered much from earthquakes in 358, 362 and 368; after the last of

which, it was restored by the emperor

Valens
. During

the Middle Ages it was for a long time a strong bulwark of the

Byzantine

emperors against the

Turks

.

 Nicaea

in early Christianity

In the reign of

Constantine

, 325, the celebrated

First Council of Nicaea

was held there against the

Arian

heresy
, and the

prelates there defined more clearly the concept of the

Trinity
and

drew up the

Nicene

Creed
. The doctrine

of the Trinity was finalized at the Council of Constantinople in

381 AD which expressly included the Holy Ghost as equal to the Father and the

Son. The first Nicene Council was probably held in what would become the now

ruined mosque of Orchan. The church of Hagia Sophia was built by

Justinian

I
in the middle of the city in the 6th century (modelled after the larger

Hagia

Sophia
in Constantinople), and it was there that the

Second Council of Nicaea

met in 787 to discuss the issues of

iconography

.

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
ParthicaII

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.