VOLUSIAN 251AD Antioch in Pisidia Vexillum Legionary Eagle Roman Coin i53244

Item: i53244

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Volusian – Roman Caesar: 251-253 A.D. –

Bronze 21mm (7.49 grams) of

Antioch in

Pisidia
Reference: cf. Sear GIC 4381; SNG Von Aulock 4978-9

IMP C V M P CALVSSIANO AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Volusian
right.
 ANTIOCHI COL, vexilium surmounted by eagle, between two legionary
eagles, SR in exergue below.

The legends on the coins of Pisidian Antioch are usually
blundered from the time of this reign onwards.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

The vexillum (English pronunciation: plural vexilla
was a flag
-like object used in the
Classical Era
of the
Roman Empire
. The word is itself a diminutive
for the Latin word, velum, sail, which confirms the historical evidence (from
coins and sculpture) that vexilla were literally "little sails" i.e. flag-like
standards. In the vexillum the cloth was draped from a horizontal crossbar
suspended from the staff; this is unlike most modern flags in which the ‘hoist’
of the cloth is attached directly to the vertical staff. The bearer of a
vexillum was known as a
vexillarius
or vexillifer. Just as
in the case of the regimental colors or flag of Western regiments, the vexillum
was a treasured symbol of the military unit that it represented and it was
closely defended in combat
.

Nearly all of the present-day regions of
Italy
preserve the use of vexilla. Many
Christian processional banners are in the vexillum form; usually these banners
are termed labara
(Greek:
λάβαρον) after the standard adopted by the
first Christian Roman emperor
Constantine I
which replaced the imperial eagle
with the "Chi-Rho"
symbol
☧
.

The term Vexillum is also used by the
Legion of Mary
as the term for its standard. A
small version is used on the altar and a full size Vexillum leads processions.

Jupiter is usually thought to have originated as a sky god. His identifying
implement is the
thunderbolt
, and his primary sacred animal is
the eagle, which held precedence over other birds in the taking of
auspices
and became one of the most

common
symbols of the
Roman army
(see
Aquila
). The two emblems were often combined to
represent the god in the form of an eagle holding in its claws a thunderbolt,
frequently seen on Greek and Roman coins. As the sky-god, he was a divine
witness to oaths, the sacred trust on which justice and good government depend.
Many of his functions were focused on the
Capitoline
("Capitol Hill"), where the
citadel
was located. He was the chief deity of
the
early Capitoline Triad
with
Mars
and
Quirinus
. In the
later Capitoline Triad
, he was the central
guardian of the state with
Juno
and
Minerva
. His sacred tree was the oak. The
Romans regarded Jupiter as the
equivalent
of the Greek

Zeus, and in
Latin literature
and
Roman art
, the myths and iconography of Zeus
are adapted under the name Iuppiter.

An aquila, or eagle, was a prominent symbol used in

ancient Rome, especially as the
standard
of a
Roman legion
. A
legionary
known as an
aquilifer
, or eagle-bearer, carried this
standard. Each legion carried one eagle. The eagle was extremely important to
the Roman military, beyond merely being a symbol of a legion. A lost standard
was considered an extremely grave occurrence, and the Roman military often went
to great lengths to both protect a standard and to recover it if lost; for
example, see the aftermath of the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
, where the
Romans spent decades attempting to recover the lost standards of three legions.

Antioch in Pisidia– alternatively Antiochia in Pisidia or
Pisidian Antioch (Greek:
Ἀντιόχεια τῆς Πισιδίας) and in
Roman
Empire,
Latin
: Antiochia Caesareia or
Antiochia Caesaria – is a city in the
Turkish Lakes Region
, which is at the
crossroads of the
Mediterranean
,
Aegean
and Central
Anatolian
regions, and formerly on the border
of Pisidia
and Phrygia,
hence also known as Antiochia in Phrygia. The site lies approximately
1 km northeast of Yalvaç
, the modern town of

Isparta Province. The city is on a hill with its highest point of
1236 m in the north.

Gaius Vibius Volusianus (d. August, 253) was a

Roman emperor

(251 – 253).

He was son to

Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus

by his wife

Afinia Gemina Baebiana

. He is known to have had a sister, Vibia Galla.

The death of Decius

in early June, 251 led to Trebonianus Gallus’ elevation to the

throne. Gallus adopted Decius’ son

Hostilian

and made him co-ruler. Volusianus was named

Caesar

and Princeps Juventutis. Later in 251 Hostilian died of the

plague

and Volusianus replaced him as

Augustus

and co-ruler.

Father and son were both killed in 253 by mutinous troops in

Interamna

.