RIC V Claudius Gothicus 11

AD 269

An AE3 of Claudius II Gothicus

Bethel University

Sophia Carlson

POINT(1391493.63472222 5146011.67856646)

Roman Coin Project

Coin

Image/jpeg

Roma (Rome)

Antoninianus

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

Claudius II Gothicus

Italy

Silver

IMP CLAVDIVS AVG

Bust of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, draped, right or bust of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, cuirassed, right or bust of Claudius Gothicus, helmeted, radiate, cuirassed, left, holding spear in right hand and shield in left hand or head of Claudius Gothicus, radiate, right

P M TR P II COS P P

Claudius Gothicus, standing left, holding branch in right hand and short sceptre in left hand

Claudius II otherwise known as Claudius Gothicus was emperor of the Roman Empire from 268-270. He was thought to be born in Illyria which plays a role in how he came to power. Although his reign was short, it was very impactful for years to come providing breathing space for the empire to grow and thrive under the rule of others who claimed at times to be his descendants because of the great victories he provided for the empire.
Claudius II had spent most of his adult life in the military working his way up the ranks eventually landing as the right-hand man for the emperor that he succeeded, Gallienus. Gallienus was assassinated when he reign came to an end and allegedly Claudius II had been sent away in an effort by the conspiracy to keep the blame away from him so that he would still be named Emperor without hesitation by the army. The assassination was said to be performed by Illyrians in an effort to secure more safety for their people due to the fact that the new emperor would have a tie there.
How Claudius II became Claudius Gothicus and the main victory of his reign was the defeat of the Goths in 269. The Goths had been a major threat to the Roman empire and they were moving in quickly. This defeat was one of last minute success which made it all the more impactful and worth celebrating. It was not a gradual threat that the Goths were producing it was fast and it was evident to all citizens. Therefore the defeat was well appreciated by the general public giving Claudius Gothicus great recognition.

A question posed by his reign was that of the city of Autun. This city had revolted claiming themselves in the name of Claudius Gothicus. However, they received no assistance from the emperor and eventually fell under siege to Victorinus. It was almost as though he had no care for this city and paid no mind to what would happen to it.
The end of Claudius’ reign came when he fell ill and died of natural causes. Again as the emperor discussed above he did not die of assassination therefor obtaining at least enough respect to peg him as a successful ruler over the Roman empire for his time. In addition to his proven historical moments, there are theories that claim he was involved in the execution of St. Valentine who was persecuted for his assistance given to Christians in Rome. This has not been proved however there is a mention of an Emperor Claudius and Claudius I would not have accurately fit the situation as much as Claudius Gothicus.

Claudius II Gothicus. On the obverse side of the coin you see him facing right. He seems to be wearing a “cuirassed” or a piece of armour that connects the back to the front. On his head there is a crown that is spiked referred to as a “radiant”. The radiant was used to distinguish the antoninianus, which from my findings means that it was worth two denarii. It also signified the emperor being male. For females the bust would have been resting on a crescent moon. On the coin the letters read “IMP CLAVDIVS AVG” because v’s were used in place of u’s. This indicates that it is Claudius II Gothicus because the radiant had not yet been introduced during the time of Claudius I. The reverse depicts a women holding two items in her hands. One forum that I put my coin on suggested this to be Laetitia. She was supposed to be a representation of joy meaning whatever she was holding was supposed to signify joy towards those items. In her right hand is a wreath which was thought to represent eternity. In her left hand is the cornucopia. A cornucopia was typically a basket filled with fruits and other foods, meant to signify nourishment and abundance. The reverse reads “LAETITIA AVG” which means “The joy of the emperor.” From what I understand this coin then means that it is the joy of the emperor to bring abundance to his people for eternity.

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