Gold Aureus of Maximian, Rome, 5.46 g.
Title
Gold Aureus of Maximian, Rome, 5.46 g.
Creator
Maximian (Maximianus Herculeus)
Date
294 CE
Description
Obverse: Laureate head of Maximian (Maximianus Herculeus); MAXIMIANVS P F AVG.
Reverse: Fortification with open door and gate; three towers in front, two large towers with two small towers in between in back; VIRTVS MILITVM; PR in exergue.
Style/Period: Roman Empire
Maximian, born around the year 250 CE, was emperor from 285 CE until 305 CE, during an era known as the Tetrarchy. This was a time when control of the Roman empire was shared between four men in order to distribute power and allow the empire to run smoothly. The obverse of the coin shows a very powerful figure in the style of the early Tetrarchy. Later on in the Roman and Byzantine Empires, portraits would become more and more abstract, but at this stage the abstraction is limited to exaggerating a few features to make the emperor seem more powerful. The square head and strong jaw-line show a man of strength, and the short beard would have been common on a soldier, signifying Maximian’s military roots. In the art of the Tetrarchy, the Tetrarchs were not four separate rulers, but four men carrying out the duties of the imperial office as one. Portraits of the various emperors have almost no distinctive features to reaffirm this unity.
The reverse reaffirms and strengthens the military might of the Tetrarchy. “VIRTVS MILITVM” has a double meaning. It means the “courage of the soldiers” and could mean that the coin is praising the army. However, all of the Tetrarchs came from the army, and the inscription could also be praising them. The imagery of this coin depicts a camp fort, made of stone. The fort indicates the presence of the Roman military while the stone shows its permanent presence. Permanent fortifications and walled cities became commonplace during the Tetrarchy to protect the fracturing empire.
--McKinley Breen, LU `21
Bibliography: D. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture (New Haven 1992), 400-401; C.H.V. Sutherland and R.A.G. Carson, The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. VI (London 1967), 351; C. Foss, Roman Historical Coins (London 1990), 254-255.
The reverse reaffirms and strengthens the military might of the Tetrarchy. “VIRTVS MILITVM” has a double meaning. It means the “courage of the soldiers” and could mean that the coin is praising the army. However, all of the Tetrarchs came from the army, and the inscription could also be praising them. The imagery of this coin depicts a camp fort, made of stone. The fort indicates the presence of the Roman military while the stone shows its permanent presence. Permanent fortifications and walled cities became commonplace during the Tetrarchy to protect the fracturing empire.
--McKinley Breen, LU `21
Bibliography: D. Kleiner, Roman Sculpture (New Haven 1992), 400-401; C.H.V. Sutherland and R.A.G. Carson, The Roman Imperial Coinage, Vol. VI (London 1967), 351; C. Foss, Roman Historical Coins (London 1990), 254-255.
Source
Former collection of Ottilia Buerger. Purchased from Abner Kreisberg, June 30, 1960.
Identifier
91.237
Rights
Wriston Art Center Galleries, Lawrence University, Appleton, WI,wriston-gallery@lawrence.edu,920-832-6890
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Files
Citation
Maximian (Maximianus Herculeus), “Gold Aureus of Maximian, Rome, 5.46 g.,” Lawrence University Classics Department & Ottilia Buerger Coin Collections, accessed November 5, 2026, https://thor.lawrence.edu/omeka/buerger/items/show/581.