RIC V Claudius II Gothicus 181

268 - 270 CE

An Antoninianus of the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

Coins; Claudius II Gothicus; Laetitia

Bethel University

Sarah Sauer

POINT(1822454.57548542 5697909.84686708)

268 - 270 CE

Render Unto Caesar Roman Coin Project.

Coin

image/jpeg

Latin

romancoin4-Sauer_03.jpg; romancoin4-Sauer_04.jpg

Siscia (Sisak)

Antoninianus

Claudius II Gothicus (268-270 A.D.)

Laetitia

Claudius II Gothicus

Pannonia

Silver

IMP CLAUDIVS AVG

Bust of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, draped, right or bust of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, cuirassed, right or head of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, right

LAETITIA AVG

Laetitia, draped, standing left, holding wreath in right hand and cornucopiae in left hand

According to the questionable account of the author of the Historia Augusta, Claudius II Gothicus was born during the reign of Caracalla in Illyricum. His military career likely started before the reign of Gallienus, with the Historia Augusta attributing his first role to an appointment by Valerianus as dux in Illyricum (Mennen 2011, 222). Nevertheless, he rose to the role of supreme commander of the cavalry under the command of Gallienus (Watson 2003, 47). Gallienus’ memory continued to be mocked by the senate after his lifetime, and he eventually came to his death at the hands of his young Illyrian officers (Dunstan 2011, 288). Claudius then succeeded Gallienus in 268 C.E., inheriting the task of restoring the unity of the Empire and continuing on Gallienus’ struggle to stem the decline (Mennen 2011, 237). One of Claudius’ major military successes dealt with the successful defeat of a barbarian group, the Alamanni, in its attempt to take advantage large amount of resource centered around Milan during the power struggles in that area (Watson 2003, 43). With the help of future emperor Aurelian, he marched north to meet this pillaging group and successfully defeated this group at Lake Garda in 269 C.E. (Watson 2003, 43). He earned his title, “Gothicus” from his successful victories in defeating multiple Gothic waves of invasion (Dunstan 2011, 288). The second invasion of the Goths in his reign occurred when a group of tribes, led by the Heruli, decided to break their truce with the Romans and once again assemble an armada and attack various Balkan states (Watson 2003, 43). The author of Historia Augusta speaks to Claudius’ eventual success in thwarting this invasion by praising his crushing of 2,000 barbarian ships and killing of 320,000 men (Historia Augusta). He is then responsible for giving the “state both security and an abundance as riches” after defeating the Goths in the series of events to follow this particular naval battle (Historia Augusta). The Gothic threat then did not reemerge in Italy until more than a century later (Dunstan 2011, 289). Upon the ending of this series of impressive victories against the Goths, a certain pestilence began to spread among the Goths and spread to the Roman army (Historia Augusta). Claudius succumbed to this pestilence in 270 C.E. (Historia Augusta). Claudius’ reign marked several changes within the leadership of the empire. By this time in the third century, imperial authority was critically unstable and was characterized by the diminishing role for senators in military events (Mennen 2011, 238). In this time of crisis, the emperor faced many military threats all at once on opposite frontiers of the empire, and he consequently had to rely on various military officers to travel and deal with the arising issue (Mennen 2011, 238). By the 260s, the military system had become much more flexible, relying on the legions placed under the control of duces, men that accumulated military connections, supplies, and troops in and around their native area to confront various threats (Mennen 2011, 238). Naturally, these duces came from areas on the frontier, and they began to more or less replace traditional governors due to the constant instability of these regions (Mennen 2011, 239). Although almost nothing is known about how Claudius became a dux, but he likely arose through a similar process, although it was not typical for duces to gain much more then regional acceptance for their power.

A right facing, radiate, and cuirassed portrait of Claudius II Gothicus exists on the obverse of this coin. The inscription around the edge of the obverse reads, IMP CLAVDIVS AVG, or in longhand, Imperator Claudius Augustus. The reverse bears an image of Laetitia, one of the personifications for happiness that the Romans used on coinage, standing left, holding a cornucopia in her left hand. Although difficult to see on this particular coin, she also holds a laurel wreath in her left hand, held at her side. Laetitia is portrayed with her typical anchor facing vertically downward. The inscription around the obverse reads, LAETITIA AVG, also known as, Laetitia Augustus. Claudius wears the radiate crown common to the need to distinguish the antoninianus from other denominations although the Sol Invictus had not yet been instilled as the prime deity by Aurelian.

The reverse’s depiction of Laetitia reflects the need for this third century emperor to communicate a sense of prosperity and success in the midst of the turmoil that characterized this time (Manders 2012, 187). The inclusion of Laetitia by Claudius represented an attempt to obscure reality or invoke a certain wish or promise of a better reality in the various financial, economic, and military crises at the time (Manders 2012, 187). Laetitia served as the personification of a less religious sense of rejoicing, and the Romans held many public festivals in dedication to her (“Happiness” 2009). The addition of “Augustus” after “Laetitia” indicates that this quality was attributed directly to the emperor, Claudius, himself (“Happiness” 2009). The inclusion of Laetitia, even when attributed to the emperor, indicated a sustained commitment to represent “the real benefits of the empire and monarchy” (Norena 2011, 173). But, it is most likely that Claudius included Laetitia on the reverse not in a conscious attempt to make people happy, but it probably was just a carryover from past times (Norena 2011, 174). For the Romans, Laetitia personified a personal type of joyfulness, but it could be associated with festivals and public displays put on by the emperor (Norena 2001, 172). But, this specific depiction of Laetitia likely refers more to a joyfulness on the abundance or security that came from the military expeditions of Claudius. The cornucopia that Laetitia is holding serves to remind the public of the conceptual relationship between happiness and joyfulness and material abundance and prosperity (Norena 2011, 173). But, there is also a connection with the laurel wreath, which was traditionally given to generals and later used to symbolize the military leadership of the emperor, and its association with military victory as a way for an emperor to propagate this emotion (Norena 2011, 173). The anchor that can be seen on the reverse symbolizes the “well-founded and long-lasting nature of the cause of rejoicing” (“Happiness” 2009). Given Claudius’ relative success in his victories against the Goths, it makes sense that he would attribute the joyfulness, which would be seen as having expansive effects on the empire, to himself because he was the one to guarantee this success along with its hopefully long-lasting consequences on the prosperity and abundance on the empire.

S

17 mm

2.05 mg