Domitius Domitianus - Follis
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Subject | Domitius Domitianus |
Reverse Type | Genius |
Denomination | Follis |
Primary ID Type | RIC |
Primary ID | 020v VI |
InscriptionObv | IMP C DOMITIVS DOMITIANVS AVG |
InscriptionRev | GENIO POPV-L-I ROMANI |
Material | Copper/Bronze |
Earliest | 297 |
Latest Possible Year | 298 |
Mint | Alexandria |
Size (mm) | 25 |
Weight (gr) | 139 |
Period | Imperial |
Culture | Rome |
Notes:
Laureate head right / Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopia; at feet to left, eagle standing left, head right
Obverse:
Lucius Domitius Domitianus was a Roman usurper against Diocletian. Domitianus seized power for a short time in Egypt in 297 AD. This revolt destabilized a vitally strategic region by interrupting the grain supply to Rome and opening the possibility of Persian (Sasanian) invasion. For almost a year, Domitius Domitianus controlled Alexandria and its mint, striking aurei and folles, as well as a series of pre-reform imperial Greek denominations.
Denomination:
The Roman follis was a large bronze coin introduced in about 294 (actual name of this coin is unknown [1]) with the coinage reform of Diocletian. It weighed about 10 grams and was about 4% silver, mostly as a thin layer on the surface. The word follis means bag (usually made of leather) in Latin, and there is evidence that this term was used in antiquity for a sealed bag containing a specific amount of coins. It is also possible that the coin was named Follis because of the ancient Greek word "φολίς" meaning a thin layer of metal which covers the surface of various objects, since originally, this coin had a thin layer of silver on top. The follis of Diocletian, despite efforts to enforce prices with the Edict on Maximum Prices (301), was revalued and reduced. By the time of Constantine, the follis was smaller and barely contained any silver. A series of Constantinian bronzes was introduced in the mid-4th century, although the specific denominations are unclear and debated by historians and numismatists. They are referred to as AE1, AE2, AE3 and AE4, with the former being the largest (near 27 mm) and the latter the smallest (averaging 15 mm) in diameter.
Period:
Imperial Rome. As the Roman Republic began to implode because of
corruption and infighting among powerful members of the Roman Senate, a new type of
Roman Republican coinage emerges, that of the military strongmen who dominated and
fought among each other before the final fall of the Republic. The drama surrounding
the fall of the Roman Republic is a story full of political intrigue, military action, betrayal,
murder and sex scandals. Different parts of this story have been told and retold by
ancient historians, modern day scholars, dozens of Hollywood movies and even an HBO
miniseries. All of the actors in this great drama, Crassus, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Brutus
and Cassius, Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the last man standing at the end of it all,
Octavian (later known as the first emperor of Rome, Emperor Augustus) all minted coins
during this time bearing their names and propaganda images supporting their factions
and political ideals.
Culture:
Ancient Rome. A famous catch phrase "Rome was not built in a day"
definitely applies to the Roman civilization. Rome stated as a series of small villages among the
famous seven hills of Rome along the river Tiber. Eventually through conquest, diplomacy, wise
policies of indirect rule and assimilation, the Romans were able to not only unify the Italian
peninsula, but though a series of brutal wars against regional powers established a great Empire
that spanned Europe, Asia and Africa, making the Mediterrean Sea and "Roman Lake."
All Roman coinage can generally be divided into eight time periods as described below. An interesting thing about Roman coins minted during these eight time periods is that you can literally see the "Rise and Fall" of the Roman Empire on its coinage as the sharp imagery and pure silver and gold coins of the Roman Republic and Early Imperial Period gradually devolves into crude, illegible and heavily debased coins of the "Barracks Emperors" and "Barbarian" Period.
All Roman coinage can generally be divided into eight time periods as described below. An interesting thing about Roman coins minted during these eight time periods is that you can literally see the "Rise and Fall" of the Roman Empire on its coinage as the sharp imagery and pure silver and gold coins of the Roman Republic and Early Imperial Period gradually devolves into crude, illegible and heavily debased coins of the "Barracks Emperors" and "Barbarian" Period.
Item created by: gdm
on 2016-08-14 13:00:51
Last edited by: gdm on 2016-08-14 16:31:38
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Last edited by: gdm on 2016-08-14 16:31:38
If you see errors or missing data in this entry, please feel free to log in and edit it. Anyone with a Gmail account can log in instantly.