Maxentius
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius Augustus
Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius was the son of Maximian, passed over in the Tetrarchic succession. He revolted in Rome in 306 with Praetorian support, defending the city's traditional privileges against Tetrarchic taxation. He proved a capable administrator of Italy and Africa, restoring Roman monuments and supporting Christian communities. His reputation in ancient sources is coloured by his defeat and death at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312, where he drowned in the Tiber, after which Constantine imposed a thorough damnatio memoriae.
Maxentius has been substantially rehabilitated by modern historians, who recognise his genuine administrative competence and his role in preserving Roman religious traditions, including Christian toleration. His CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE type is one of the most symbolically resonant in late Roman coinage: Rome asserting its identity against the Tetrarchic system that had marginalised it.
Key Events
Coinage
Maxentius's coinage is of outstanding historical and aesthetic interest. His CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE (Conservators of Their City) type features the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus with the Tiber god, a declaration of Roman identity against the Tetrarchic court's eastern associations. The Roma and Castor-Pollux temple types are among the finest artistic achievements of late Roman coinage. His folles are well-struck and plentiful enough to be accessible to collectors.
Denominations
Notable Types
- CONSERVATORES VRB SVAE, wolf and twins (his most iconic type)
- Temple of Roma reverse (Roma Aeterna)
- Castor and Pollux types (AETERNITAS AVG N)
- FIDES MILITVM types
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VI,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume IV,