|
Numerian –
Roman Emperor
: December 283 – November, 284 A.D.
–
Billon Antoninianus 22mm (3.85 grams) Tripolis mint: 282-283 A.D.
Reference: RIC 380; RIC V-2, 380; Sear 12224.
IMP C M AVR NVMERIANVS NOB C, laureate, draped bust right
VIRTVS AVGG, Numerian, holding sceptre, standing right, receiving globe
from Jupiter
or Carus, standing left, holding sceptre. TR in lower centre. Mintmark XXI.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
Authenticity.
Royal/Imperial symbols of power
Ruling dynasties often exploit pomp and ceremony with the use of
regalia
:
crowns
,
robes,
orb (globe) and sceptres
, some of which are
reflections of formerly practical objects. The use of language mechanisms also
support this differentiation with subjects talking of “the crown” and/or of “the
throne
” rather than referring directly to
personal names and items.
Monarchies
provide the most explicit
demonstration of tools to strengthen the elevation of leaders. Thrones sit high
on daises
leading to subjects lifting their gaze
(if they have permission) to contemplate the ruler. Architecture in general can
set leaders apart: note the symbolism inherent in the very name of the Chinese
imperial
Forbidden City
.
In
Roman mythology
,
Jupiter
or
Jove was the
king of the gods
, and the god of
sky and
thunder
. He
is
 the equivalent of Zeus
in the
Greek pantheon
. He was called Iuppiter (or Diespiter)
Optimus Maximus (“Father God the Best and Greatest”). As the patron deity of
ancient
Rome
, he ruled over laws and social order. He was the chief god of the
Capitoline Triad
, with sister/wife
Juno
. Jupiter is also the father of the god
Mars
with Juno. Therefore, Jupiter is the grandfather of
Romulus and Remus
, the legendary founders of Rome. Jupiter was venerated in
ancient Roman religion
, and is still venerated in
Roman Neopaganism
. He is a son of
Saturn
, along with brothers
Neptune
and
Pluto
.
He is also the brother/husband of
Ceres
(daughter of Saturn and mother of
Proserpina
),
brother of Veritas
(daughter of Saturn), and father of
Mercury
.
Marcus Aurelius Numerius Numerianus (d. November, 284), known in
English as Numerian, was a
Roman
Emperor
(December 283 – November, 284), together with his brother
Carinus
. They
were sons of Carus
,
a Gaul
raised to
the office of
praetorian
prefect
under Emperor
Probus
in 282.
//
In 282, the legions of the upper Danube in
Raetia
and
Noricum
proclaimed Numerian’s father, the
praetorian
prefect
Marcus Aurelius
Carus
, emperor,
beginning a rebellion against the emperor Probus. Probus’ army, stationed in
Sirmium
(Sremska
Mitrovica, Serbia
), decided they did not wish to fight Carus, and assassinated Probus
instead. Carus, already sixty, wished to establish a dynasty; and immediately
elevated Carinus and Numerian to the rank of
Caesar
.
In 283, Carus raised Carinus to the title Caesar, left him in charge of the
West, and moved with Numerian and his praetorian prefect
Arrius Aper
to the East, to wage war against the
Sassanid Empire
.
(The Sassanids had been embroiled in a succession dispute since the death of
Shapur
, and
were in no position to oppose Carus’ advance.) According to
Zonaras
, Eutropius
, and
Festus
, Carus won a major victory against the Persians, taking
Seleucia
and the Sassanid capital of
Ctesiphon
(near modern
Al-Mada’in
,
Iraq), cities on
opposite banks of the
Tigris
. In
celebration, Numerian, Carus, and Carinus all took the
title
Persici maximi. Carus died in July or early August, reportedly
due to a strike of lightning.
Carus’ death left Numerian and Carinus as the new Augusti. Carinus quickly
made his way to Rome from Gaul, and arrived in January 284. Numerian lingered in
the East. The Roman retreat from Persia was orderly and unopposed, for the
Persian King, Bahram II
, was still struggling to establish his authority. By March 284
Numerian had only reached Emesa (Homs)
in Syria
; by
November, only Asia Minor. In Emesa he was apparently still alive and in good
health, as he issued the only extant
rescript
in
his name there. (Coins are issued in his name in
Cyzicus
at
some time before the end of 284, but it is impossible to know whether he was
still in the public eye by that point.) After Emesa, Numerian’s staff, including
the prefect Aper, reported that Numerian suffered from an inflammation of the
eyes, and had to travel in a closed coach. When the army reached
Bithynia
,
some of Numerian’s soldiers smelled an odor reminiscent of a decaying corpse
emanating from the coach. They opened its curtains. Inside, they found Numerian,
dead.
Aper officially broke the news in
Nicomedia
(İzmit) in
November. Numerian’s generals and tribunes called a council for the succession,
and chose Diocles
, commander of the cavalry arm of the imperial bodyguard, emperor, in
spite of Aper’s attempts to garner support. On November 20, 284, the army of the
east gathered on a hill 5 km
(3.1 mi) outside
Nicomedia. The army unanimously saluted their new Augustus, and Diocles accepted
the purple imperial vestments. He raised his sword to the light of the sun, and
swore an oath denying responsibility for Numerian’s death. He asserted that Aper
had killed Numerian and concealed it. In full view of the army, Diocles drew his
blade and killed Aper.
According to
Historia Augusta
,
Numerian was a man of considerable literary attainments, remarkably amiable and
known as a great orator and poet. However, no other sources, apart from the
unreliable Historia, report anything about his personality.
Marcus Aurelius Carus (c. 230 – late July/early
August, 283) was a
Roman
Emperor
(282-283). During his short reign, Carus tried to follow the path of
restoration of the empire strength marked by
Aurelian
and Probus
. His
sons Carinus
and Numerian
formed, with Carus, a short lived dynasty, which granted further stability to a
resurgent empire. He also had a daughter Aurelia Paulina.
//
Biography
Carus, whose name before the accession may have been Marcus
Numerius Carus, was born, probably, at
Narbo (modern
Narbonne)
in Gaul,[1]
but was educated at Rome
. He was a
senator
,
and had filled various civil and military posts before he was appointed
prefect
of
the
Praetorian Guard
by the emperor Probus in 282. After the murder of Probus at
Sirmium
,
Carus was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. Although Carus severely avenged
the death of Probus, he was himself suspected of having been an accessory to the
deed. He does not seem to have returned to Rome after his accession, but
contented himself with an announcement of the fact to the Senate.
Bestowing the title of
Caesar
upon his sons Carinus and Numerian, he left Carinus in charge of the
western portion of the empire, and took Numerian with him on the expedition
against the
Persians
which had been contemplated by Probus. Having defeated the
Quadi
and
Sarmatians
on the Danube
,
Carus proceeded through
Thrace
and
Asia Minor
, annexed
Mesopotamia
, pressed on to
Seleucia
and
Ctesiphon
,
and carried his arms beyond the
Tigris
. The
Sassanid Emperor
Bahram II
limited by internal opposition, could not effectively defend his territory. For
his victories, which avenged all the previous defeats suffered by the Romans
against the Sassanids, Carus received the title of Persicus Maximus.
Carus hopes of further conquest were cut short by his death. One day, after a
violent storm, it was announced that he was dead. His death was variously
attributed to disease, the effects of
lightning
,
or a wound received in a campaign against the
Persians
. The facts that he was leading a victorious campaign, and that his
son Numerian succeeded him without opposition, suggest that his death may have
been due to natural causes.
|
