Decius

An Illyrian senator who defeated Philip the Arab, Decius adopted the name Traianus to invoke Rome's greatest military emperor. He launched the first systematic empire-wide persecution of Christians and became the first Roman emperor killed in battle against a foreign enemy when he fell fighting the Goths at Abritus.

Decius's death at Abritus shocked the Roman world and exposed the empire's vulnerability to barbarian invasion. His persecution of Christians and his numismatic honoring of the deified emperors both reflect a desperate attempt to restore traditional Roman values in a time of crisis.

Key Events

249 AD Defeated Philip the Arab at the Battle of Verona and became emperor

250 AD Issued edict requiring all citizens to sacrifice to Roman gods, triggering the Decian persecution of Christians

250 AD Issued the Divi series of antoniniani honoring deified predecessors

251 AD Killed along with his son Herennius Etruscus at the Battle of Abritus against the Goths

Coinage

Decius's most celebrated numismatic legacy is the 'Divi' series of antoniniani, which honoured the deified emperors from Augustus to Severus Alexander. These consecration types with their distinctive reverse imagery are among the most collected third-century coins.

Denominations

Aureus Antoninianus Sestertius Dupondius As

Notable Types

Divi series (consecration antoniniani honoring past emperors)
PANNONIAE types
DACIA types
Victoria Germanica types

Common Reverses

DIVI series: CONSECRATIO (eagle/altar) PANNONIAE DACIA GENIVS EXERC ILLVRICIANI ADVENTVS AVG VICTORIA AVG

Active Mints

Rome Milan

Key Events

Coinage

Further Reading