Trebonianus Gallus –
Roman Emperor
: 251-253 A.D. –
Bronze 23mm (4.72 grams) of
Cremna
in
Pisidia
Reference: Sear GIC 4338; Von Aulock 5114
IMP. C.C. VIB. TR. GALLVM P.F. AVG, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
COL. IVL. AVG. F. CRE., Apollo advancing right, about to discharge arrow from
bow.
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In
Greek
and
Roman mythology
,
Apollo, is one of the most
important and diverse of the
Olympian deities
. The ideal of the
kouros
(a beardless youth), Apollo has been
variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy;
archery
; medicine and healing; music, poetry,
and the arts; and more. Apollo is the son of
Zeus and Leto
, and has a
twin
sister, the chaste huntress
Artemis
. Apollo is known in Greek-influenced
Etruscan mythology
as Apulu. Apollo was
worshiped in both
ancient Greek
and
Roman religion
, as well as in the modern
Greco
–Roman
Neopaganism
.
As the patron of Delphi
(Pythian Apollo), Apollo was an
oracular
god — the prophetic deity of the
Delphic Oracle
. Medicine and healing were
associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his
son Asclepius
, yet Apollo was also seen as a god
who could bring ill-health and deadly
plague
as well as one who had the ability to
cure. Amongst the god’s custodial charges, Apollo became associated with
dominion over
colonists
, and as the patron defender of herds
and flocks. As the leader of the
Muses (Apollon Musagetes) and director of their choir, Apollo
functioned as the patron god of music and
poetry
.
Hermes
created the
lyre for him, and the instrument became a common
attribute
of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were
called paeans
.
In Hellenistic times, especially during the third century BCE, as Apollo
Helios he became identified among Greeks with
Helios
,
god of the sun
, and his sister Artemis
similarly equated with
Selene
,
goddess of the moon
. In Latin texts, on the
other hand, Joseph Fontenrose declared himself unable to find any conflation of
Apollo with
Sol
among the
Augustan poets
of the first century, not even
in the conjurations of
Aeneas
and
Latinus
in
Aeneid
XII (161–215). Apollo and Helios/Sol
remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the third
century CE.
Gaius
Vibius Trebonianus Gallus (206 – August, 253), was
Roman
Emperor
from 251 to 253, in a joint rule with his son
Volusianus
.
Gallus was born in Italy, in a family with respected ancestry
of
Etruscan
senatorial
background. He had two children in his marriage with
Afinia Gemina Baebiana
: Gaius Vibius Volusianus, later Emperor, and a
daughter, Vibia Galla. His early career was a typical
cursus honorum
, with several appointments, both political and military.
He was suffect consul
and in 250 was nominated governor of the
Roman province
of
Moesia Superior
,
an appointment that showed the confidence of emperor
Trajan Decius
in him. In Moesia, Gallus was a key figure in repelling the
frequent invasion attacks by the
Gothic
tribes of
the Danube
and
became popular with the army, catered to during his brief Imperial rule by his
official image: military haircut, gladiatorial physique, intimidating stance (illustration,
left).[1]
In June 251, Decius and his co-emperor and son
Herennius Etruscus
died in the
Battle of Abrittus
, at the hands of the Goths they were supposed to punish
for raids into the empire, largely owing to the failure of Gallus to attack
aggressively. When the army heard the news, the soldiers proclaimed Gallus
emperor, despite
Hostilian
,
Decius’ surviving son, ascending the imperial throne in Rome. Gallus did not
back down from his intention to become emperor, but accepted Hostilian as
co-emperor, perhaps to avoid the damage of another civil war. While Gallus
marched on Rome, an outbreak of
plague
struck the city and killed young Hostilian. With absolute power now
in his hands, Gallus nominated his son Volusianus co-emperor.
Eager to show himself competent and gain popularity with the
citizens, Gallus swiftly dealt with the epidemic, providing burial for the
victims. Gallus is often accused of persecuting the
Christians
, but the only solid evidence of this allegation is the
imprisoning of
Pope Cornelius
in 252.
Like his predecessors, Gallus did not have an easy reign. In
the East, Persian Emperor
Shapur I
invaded and conquered the province of
Syria
, without any response from Rome. On the Danube, the Gothic tribes were
once again on the loose, despite the peace treaty signed in 251. The army was
not long pleased with the emperor, and when
Aemilianus
,
governor of Moesia Superior and Pannonia, took the initiative of battle and
defeated the Goths, the soldiers proclaimed him emperor. With a
usurper
threatening the throne, Gallus prepared for a fight. He recalled
several legions
and ordered reinforcements to return to Rome from the
Rhine
frontier.
Despite these dispositions, Aemilianus marched onto Italy ready to fight for his
claim. Gallus did not have the chance to face him in battle: he and
Volusianus
were murdered by their own troops in August 253, in
Interamna (modern
Terni)
.
Bronze of Gallus dating from the time of his reign as
Roman Emperor, the only surviving near-complete full-size 3rd century Roman
bronze (Metropolitan
Museum of Art)[2]
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