ROMAN.Gallienus AD 253-268 BI Double-Denarius / Rev. Sun God Cult NGC (034)

ROMAN EMPIRE

GALLIENUS 253-268 AD

BI DOUBLE DENARIUS

Roman Age of Chaos 

CERTIFIED BY NGC

Obverse: 
Gallienus  facing right, wearing a military style drape and a radiate
crown, framed by the inscription "GALLIENVS AVG," which simply means "Emperor
Gallienus."

Reverse : Sol, radiate, nude but cloak floating over
shoulder, raising right hand and holding whip in left hand.

Sol Invictus ("Unconquered Sun") was the
official sun god of the later Roman Empire and a patron of soldiers. In 274 the
Roman emperor Aurelian made it an official cult alongside the traditional Roman
cults. Scholars disagree whether the new deity was a refoundation of the ancient
Latin cult of Sol , a revival of the cult of Elagabalus or completely new.The
god was favored by emperors after Aurelian and appeared on their coins until
Constantine .The last inscription referring to Sol Invictus dates to 387 AD and
there were enough devotees in the 5th century that Augustine found it necessary
to preach against them. It is commonly claimed that the date of 25 December for
Christmas was selected in order to correspond with the Roman festival of Dies
Natalis Solis Invicti, or "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun", but this view is
challenged

Gallienus was Emperor of the Roman Empire
from AD 253-268, sharing the throne with his father Valerian until AD 260, then
as sole ruler until his death in AD 268. Based upon the inscriptions, this
Billon Double-Denarius of Gallienus was struck during his solitary reign, AD
260-268. The Romans typically used doubled letters to indicate plurality.
Coinage of Gallienus minted during his joint reign are inscribed "AVGG" (two
emperors), while later coins bear the inscription "AVG."

Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus ( c. 218
– September 268) was Roman emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260 and
alone from 260 to 268. He ruled during the Crisis of the Third Century that
nearly caused the collapse of the empire. He won a number of military victories
against usurpers and Germanic tribes, but was unable to prevent the secession of
important provinces. His 15-year reign was the longest in half a century.



Born into a wealthy and traditional senatorial family, Gallienus was the son of
Valerian and Mariniana. Valerian became Emperor in September 253 and had the
Roman senate elevate Gallienus to the ranks of Caesar and Augustus. Valerian
divided the empire between him and his son, with Valerian ruling the east and
his son the west. Gallienus defeated the usurper Ingenuus in 258 and destroyed
an Alemanni army at Mediolanum in 259.



The defeat and capture of Valerian at Edessa in 260 by the Sasanian Empire threw
the Roman Empire into the chaos of civil war. Control of the whole empire passed
to Gallienus. He defeated the eastern usurpers Macrianus Major and Lucius
Mussius Aemilianus in 261–262 but failed to stop the formation of the breakaway
Gallic Empire under general Postumus. Aureolus, another usurper, proclaimed
himself emperor in Mediolanum in 268 but was defeated outside the city by
Gallienus and besieged inside. While the siege was ongoing, Gallienus was
assassinated, stabbed to death by the officer Cecropius, as part of a
conspiracy.

 Please check out my other listings and we will be happy to combine in one package !

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