Pupienus

Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus was a distinguished senator and former prefect of Rome elected co-emperor by the Senate alongside Balbinus after the deaths of both Gordians. The choice was unpopular with the Roman people, who preferred a Gordian; the crowd rioted until the Senate agreed to appoint young Gordian III as Caesar. Pupienus personally marched north against Maximinus Thrax, but Maximinus was killed by his own troops before battle was joined. On their return to Rome, the Praetorian Guard, resentful of the senators who had bypassed them, murdered both Pupienus and Balbinus.

Pupienus and Balbinus represent the Senate's last serious attempt to impose its own candidates on the throne against the will of the Praetorian Guard, and paid for it with their lives. The CARITAS MVTVA AVGG joint types, proclaiming the mutual affection of the two emperors, are among the most historically expressive coin types in the Roman series.

Key Events

Coinage

The coinage of Pupienus is rare, though less extreme than the Gordians. Struck at Rome during a reign of under a hundred days, his portrait shows a heavily bearded, stern-faced elderly senator, quite different from the military emperor portraits of the preceding decades. Joint types with Balbinus using CARITAS MVTVA AVGG legends are particularly prized.

Related Resources

Further Reading

• Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III, Harold Mattingly & Edward A. Sydenham
• Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III, David R. Sear