Jovian

Flavius Jovianus was commander of the imperial guard when Julian died from a wound received during the Persian campaign in 363. The army, stranded deep in Persia, needed an emperor immediately and chose him. Jovian negotiated a humiliating peace with the Sassanids, ceding Nisibis, Singara, and five trans-Tigridian provinces, to extract the army from its impossible position. He restored Christianity as the state religion. He reigned only eight months, dying at Dadastana, possibly from carbon monoxide poisoning from a charcoal brazier in his tent.

Jovian's Peace of Nisibis was condemned in antiquity as a national humiliation, ceding to Persia territory Rome had held for over three centuries. His numismatic legacy is the VICTORIA ROMANORVM type. The gap between legend and political reality is one of the starkest in the Roman series. Genuine Jovian coins in any denomination are desirable additions to any late Roman collection.

Key Events

Coinage

The coinage of Jovian is rare owing to his brief eight-month reign. Struck at eastern mints primarily, his types include VICTORIA ROMANORVM (Victory of the Romans), an ironic legend given the peace he had just concluded, and VOT V MVLT X types. His portrait shows a clean-shaven, youthful face quite different from Julian's bearded philosopher type, signalling a deliberate break with his predecessor.

Related Resources

Further Reading

• Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VIII, J.P.C. Kent
• Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume V, David R. Sear