Aemilianus
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus Augustus
Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus was governor of Moesia when he repelled a Gothic raid and was acclaimed emperor by his troops. He marched west and defeated Trebonianus Gallus. His own reign lasted barely three months; when Valerian marched from the Rhine with a larger force, Aemilianus's soldiers killed him rather than face battle. His coinage is among the rarest in the entire Roman Imperial series.
Aemilianus occupies a single brief chapter in the cascade of third-century emperors, but his coins are genuine rarities that serious collectors of the period prize highly. His reign of under ninety days is one of the shortest in the Roman Imperial sequence.
Key Events
Coinage
The coinage of Aemilianus is among the rarest in the standard Roman Imperial sequence. Only a handful of denominations were issued at Rome during his approximately three-month reign. The types, MARTI PACIF (Mars the Peacemaker) and HERCVLI VICTORI, emphasise military legitimacy. His portrait has the characteristic hard, compact style of the mid-third century.
Denominations
Notable Types
- MARTI PACIF (Mars the Peacemaker)
- HERCVLI VICTORI (Hercules Victorious)
- ROMAE AETERNAE types
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III,