guy

This spectacular and rare Romano-Egyptian coin forced me to review the history of the little-know usurper of the late third century, Domitius Domitianus who revolted in Egypt in AD 297. http://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=114962 During the third century, Ancient Rome was plagued by numerous barbarian invasions and internal rebellions. The Roman Emperor Diocletian had created the Tetrarchy in AD 293 to better manage and secure the vast Roman Empire. This Tetrarchy included Maximian as Diocletian's co-equal Augustus, as well as the two subordinate Caesars of Galerius in the East and Constantius in the West. In AD 297, the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy was still facing many challenges, but was slowly regaining control of the Empire. By AD 296 Constantius had eventually reclaimed the breakaway Britannic Empire initially formed by Carausius and later ruled by Allectus,Diocletian's finance minister and later assassin. In the East the belligerent Sassanian King Narses had seized control of Armenia from the Roman client-king and was threatening Roman Syria. After an initial humiliating defeat, Galerius began to mount an effective campaign against the Persians. Adding to these pressures, the Berber tribes in North Africa had formed a coalition known as the Quinquegentiani or "five peoples." This coalition of Berbers invaded the Roman borders, forcing Augustus Maximian to regain control of that region. In the background of this turmoil and confusion, a poorly documented usurper around AD 297 named Domitius Domitianus declared himself emperor in Egypt. This required Diocletian to march to Egypt to suppress the rebellion. Domitianus was quickly defeated by December AD 297. It is possible that Domitianus' corrector Aurelius Achilleus succeeded Domitianus as usurper. Despite the usurper Domitianus's death, the Emperor Diocletian later required a several month siege of Alexandria, resulting in Achilleus's death in March 298, to achieve the final suppression of the rebellion in Egypt. Along with the scant numismatic documentation, one of the few pieces of evidence of this tumultuous period is Pompey's pillar in Alexandria. Pompey's pillar had been erroneously dated to Pompey. It was, in fact, originally built around AD 298. It's thought to have been built to celebrate Diocletian's retaking Alexandria. It was possibly a tribute from the city of Alexandria, which had been devastated by a long siege, for Diocletian's generosity of supplying grain to relieve the famine and his making the city exempt from taxes to help with its reconstruction. Pompey's pillar is a monolith of red granite on a pedestal with a total height is 98 feet 9 inches. The shaft is 73 feet tall and its circumference is 29 feet 8 inches. Pompey's pillar is the largest Roman triumphal column outside of Rome and Constantinople. On the western side of the column is an inscription in Greek which reads: "To the most just Emperor, protector of Alexandria, Diocletian, the invincible. Postumus, the Prefect of Egypt [has erected this monument]". This video clip is long, but gives one the sense of grandeur that once surrounded this column. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opUyxSt0KJ8 After these and other threats were resolved, Diocletian was then able to focus his efforts on administrative reforms, as well as domestic planning and control (such as the unsuccessful Edict of Maximum Prices in AD 301 or the futile persecution of Christians AD 303-311). There are few literary records concerning many of the unsuccessful reigns of the usurpers of the third century. Fortunately, however, numismatic evidence has helped to pull back the veils of time that have obscured their little-known but fascinating history. Even though most of us at this site are not coin collectors, we can appreciate the contributions from numismatists toward the understanding of Ancient Roman history. The great British art historian and numismatist Harold Mattingly described coins as "almost our only chance of penetrating the thick darkness that still envelops so much of the history of the third century." Here is a nice (although possibly hagiographical) summary of Domitius Domitianus's rule, along with a discussion of the numismatic evidence: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=domitius%20domitianus guy also known as gaius (I want to thank Dionysos from cointalk.com for his help in decifering this coin.)

One of the Vindolanda tablets suggested there was a bit of that went on. But you raise a good point, it is more likeley to have been a general purpose building. Memories from the past with a different conclusion: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/11738-vindolanda-tablets-glimpse-of-legionary-health/ guy also known as gaius

I, too, enjoyed the interview. It is good to get a deeper, more intimate perspective of the people we interact with over the years. guy also known as gaius

During a recent visit to the bookstore, while leafing through the most recent copy of Ancient Warfare (Vol VI, issue 4), I came across an article by Duncan B. Campbell "Evidence for Medics Amongst the Milites: Did the Roman army have a medical corps?" This article reminded me of a previous, somewhat heated discussion we had at UNRV: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/14768-valetudinarium/ The article asks this question: Interestingly, the article concludes: Good stuff. My favorite Roman medicus: guy also known as gaius

Here's a fascinating item that recently sold for $58,750: http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=3021&lotNo=21401 (You must be logged on, then, click to see the image):

Does anyone know the current status of the planned remake of "I, Claudius" by HBO? I haven't seen any news lately. While we patiently wait.... Here's someone's suggestion for the "I, Claudius Dream Cast" guy also known as gaius

Part II By August 1, 1714, Britain

When I saw this 1714 medal of George I of Great Britain, I was immediately fascinated by the reverse of the coin. (Click the image for enlargement.) The reverse inscription of this coin reads

Here's a 4th Century Forger's mold listed in a recent auction. Click on the image to see a larger picture.): http://coins.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=3021&lotNo=21426 guy also known as gaius Addendum : These coin molds from a previous post are thought by many also to be forgeries. http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/15782-augustus-27-bc-ad-14-iron-dies-joe-geranio/

Does anyone else find this cringe worthy? http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/178020-1/Michael+Parenti.aspx guy also known as gaius

The year 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of modern Italy

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I feel the Austrian school of economics has much to offer, however : (Here's a funny video about that horrible and pedestrian Austrian economist F. A. Hayek and the uber-enlightened Lord Keynes)

I don't know enough about economics to comment with any authority, but are you sure? Murray Rothbard was important in articulating the Austrian school. And Ludwig von Mises is still respected and studied. And Friedrich A. Hayek's arguements are still cited as a counterweight to the manipulations of Keynesian ecomonics (central governmental planning, cheap money, etc.). If anything, the Austrian school has been reevaluated during this recent economic mess. guy also know as gaius

Looks like an interesting book. Advise the publisher to allow the "look inside" feature offered by Amazon.com. Good luck, guy also known as gaius

Wow, I don't do modern politics and I don't know enough about economics to comment. But relating this to Ancient Rome.... Here's an interesting article comparing Krugman's economic policies with those of Diocletian: http://mises.org/daily/6076/Of-Krugman-and-Diocletian

Here's a very good critique of the movie 300. It was written by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh, a very thoughtful Iranian historian and expert on Ancient Persia. http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/300/index.htm guy also known as gaius

I think the quizzes are an excellent review, but they are not without error. Here is an example (Boldface type mine.): Of course, Septimus Severus was the brother-in-law (not the blood brother) of the Syrian noble Julia Maesa. Nevertheless, these quizzes are a quick and fun review. guy also known as gaius

If this is a repost, please delete it. I find these quizzes a nice review: http://www.funtrivia.com/ql.cfm?cat=3957 guy also known as gaius

I found this hard to believe, but genetic studies suggest that Italians are more genetically homogeneous than previously thought and they are genetically distinct from the rest of Europe. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/science/13visual.html?_r=0 I really find this hard to believe. Not meaning to be divisive, but my relatives from the Po valley even look different from other Italians. (Needless to say, they are also very distinct in culture and, until recently, language.) I would think that the multiple invasions over the centuries by various ethnic groups as well as genetic footprints left by indigenous groups would have made Italy a more heterogeneous people. I got this article from a youtube video insisting that Sicilians are at least genetically similar to the rest of Italians: guy also known as gaius

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, later named Elagabalus of Heliogabalus, was barely fourteen years old when he became emperor (AD 218-222). He was succeeded by his cousin Alexander Severus only four years later. He was Syrian on his mother's side and was a part of the Severan dynasty. This decadent and bizarre boy-emperor brought with him to the city of Rome the Syrian cult of Elagabal. Elagabalus, named after the deity, was the high priest of this cult. The cult of Elagabal was originally from Emesa (modern Homs), Syria. As explained from Wikipedia, his name has an interesting derivation: Interestingly enough, although the cult of Elagabal might be the cult of "the God of the Mountain," there are no large mountains near Emesa, Syria. While reading Martijn Icks' The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor, I came upon this interesting passage: This reminds me of a previous post in the past on the significance of Mount Argaeus: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/11560-mount-argaeus-on-coins/ A black conical stone played a prominent role with this cult (from Wikipedia): Hexastyle temple containing the conical stone of Elagabal (ornamented with a facing eagle) on a later bronze coin by potential Roman usurper Uranius from Emesa.*** Icks describes how this God of the Mountain later developed into a Syrian sun god. Roman aureus depicting Elagabalus. The reverse reads SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL (Holy Sun God Elagabal), and depicts a four-horse chariot [the quadriga is a traditional Roman image] shaded by four umbrellas carrying the sacred stone of Emesa. Here are other examples of similar coins from Wildwinds.com: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s7545.t.html The introduction of the foreign cult of Elagabal was probably not popular among most of the elite in traditional Roman society. Elagabalus flouted Roman law and tradition by elevating the cult of Elagalabus in the Roman pantheon and by marrying a vestal virgin. With Elagalabus's assassination in AD 222, the cult of Elagabal lost its patronage in Rome and the religious transformations were quickly reversed. The black stone of Elagabal was returned to Emesa. Numismatic evidence sheds light on this turbulent and confusing period of Roman history. guy also known as gaius ***For more information on Uranius, the potential usurper from Emesa, read this previous post: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/14589-uranius-antoninus-little-known-usurper/ .

Although I'm skeptical about conclusions from DNA studies, this was interesting: http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/scotland-s-dna-descended-from-lost-tribes-and-related-to-napoleon-1-2238030

Here's a nicer example that sold in May 2012 for 33% less: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=570085 Your example (not nearly as nice):

Here's a link to some Roman coins sold in auction that possibly have the image of Vercingetorix (or at least a Gallic warrior). http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?search=Vercingetorix&view_mode=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ol=1&sort=&c=&a=&l=#17 guy also known as gaius

If you are interested in the subject of Phillip II of Macedonia, Ian Worthington's Phillip II of Macedonia might be worth a look. Worthington also contends that the overlooked Phillip II was greater in many ways than his more famous son, Alexander. guy also known as gaius