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Gordian III –
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. –
Silver Antoninianus 24mm (2.98 grams) Rome mint: 241-243 A.D.
Reference: RIC 86, C 121
IMPGORDIANVSPIVSFELAVG – Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
LAETITIAAVGN – Laetitia standing left, holding wreath and anchor.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
Laetitia was a minor
Roman
goddess
of gaiety, her name deriving from the root word laeta, meaning happy.
Mariner’s
Cross
The Mariner’s Cross is a stylized cross in the shape of an
anchor
. The
Mariner’s Cross
is also referred to as
Saint Clement’s Cross
in reference to the
way he was martyred.
The Anchored Cross, or
Mariner’s Cross
, is a stylized cross in the
shape of an anchor. It is a symbol which is shaped like a plus sign with
anchor
-like protrusions at the end of each arm,
hence the name Anchored Cross. The symbol can be used to signify ‘fresh start’
or ‘hope’.
Cross and Anchor are occasionally a feature of
coats of arms
in which context they are
referred to by the
heraldic
terms anchry or ancre.
The Mariner’s Cross is also referred to as
St. Clement’s Cross
in reference to the way he
was martyred.
The History of the
anchor
dates back millennia. The most
ancient anchors were probably rocks and many rock anchors have been found dating
from at least the
Bronze Age
. Many modern moorings still rely on
a large rock as the primary element of their design. However, using pure mass to
resist the forces of a
storm
only works well as a permanent mooring;
trying to move a large enough rock to another bay is nearly impossible.
The ancient Greeks used baskets of stones, large sacks filled with sand, and
wooden logs filled with lead, which, according to
Apollonius Rhodius
and
Stephen of Byzantium
, were formed of stone; and
Athenaeus
states that they were sometimes made
of wood. Such anchors held the vessel merely by their weight and by their
friction
along the bottom. Iron was afterwards
introduced for the construction of anchors, and an improvement was made by
forming them with teeth, or “flukes”, to fasten themselves into the bottom.
An anchor frequently appears on the flags and coats of arms of institutions
involved with the sea, both naval and commercial, as well as of port cities and
seacoast regions and provinces in various countries. There also exists in
heraldry the “Anchored Cross”, or Mariner’s Cross, a stylized cross in the shape
of an anchor. The symbol can be used to signify ‘fresh start’ or ‘hope’. The
Mariner’s Cross is also referred to as St. Clement’s Cross, in reference to the
way this saint was martyred (being tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into
the Black Sea in 102). Anchored crosses are occasionally a feature of coats of
arms in which context they are referred to by the heraldic terms anchry or ancre.
A 1914 Russian poster depicting the
Triple Entente
. Britannia’s
association with the oceanic
British Empire
is indicated by her
holding a large anchor.
The anchor coinage was a series of four denominations of
silver coins
issued for use in some British
colonies in 1820 and 1822. The name comes from the crowned
anchor
that appears on the obverse of the
coins. The denominations were sixteenth, eighth, quarter and half dollars,
indicated by the Roman numerals XVI, VIII, IV and II on each side of the anchor.
The reverse design was the royal coat of arms.
According to Krause & Mishler’s Standard Catalog of World Coins,the
coins were issued for use in
Mauritius
and other Indian Ocean colonies, then
later circulated in the
West Indies
.
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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