Trebonianus Gallus
Imperator Caesar Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus Augustus
Gaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus was governor of Moesia Superior when Decius and his son were killed fighting the Goths at the Battle of Abritus in 251 AD. The surviving army acclaimed him emperor. He made a controversial peace with the Goths, allowing them to withdraw with their captives and loot, a decision condemned by ancient sources. His reign was plagued by the Plague of Cyprian, a devastating pandemic, and by the revolt of the able general Aemilianus. He was killed by his own troops when they heard Aemilianus was advancing.
The APOLL SALVTARI type is a direct numismatic response to a pandemic, one of only a few Roman coin types explicitly invoking divine protection against plague. Trebonianus Gallus's reign documents the empire at near-breaking point: external pressure, pandemic, and provincial revolt, all within two years.
Key Events
Coinage
Trebonianus Gallus struck coinage in his own name and jointly with his son Volusianus as co-emperor. The portrait style follows the hard-faced Crisis-era aesthetic. The antoninianus is the dominant silver denomination. SALVS AVGG and LIBERTAS PVBLICA types attempt to project stability; the APOLL SALVTARI (Apollo the Saviour) types specifically invoke divine protection against the plague.
Denominations
Notable Types
- APOLL SALVTARI (Apollo the Saviour), a plague-response type
- SALVS AVGG types
- LIBERTAS PVBLICA types
- Joint types with Volusianus
Common Reverses
Active Mints
Related Resources
Further Reading
- Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume IV, Part III,
- Roman Coins and Their Values, Volume III,