Claudius II Gothicus, Bronze Antoninianus

Claudius II Gothicus, Bronze Antoninianus

Claudius II (Gothicus). Bronze Antoninianus. Siscia mint, 268-270 CE.
OBVERSE: IMP CLAVDIVS P F AVG (Imperator Claudius Pius Felix Augustus), Claudius II Gothicus radiate, draped bust right.
REVERSE: SPES PVBLICA (hope, people), Spes walking left, holding flower and raising robe, P, the mint mark, in exergue.

Claudius II Gothicus was part of a long line of emperors to take control through military power. In the fifty years after the death of the last member of the Severan dynasty in 235 CE until Diocletian came into power in 284 CE, there was no order to the succession of emperors. It was simply who had the most military sway and there were almost as many emperors as there were years. Some are only known by the coins they minted as historical writing of this period is incomplete and limited.

We do know that Claudius II Gothicus earned his name from defeating the invading Gothic Alamanni along the banks of Lake Garda in November 268 CE. Unusually for an emperor of this anarchist time, Gothicus died from the plague in 270 CE and was deified after his death.

Gift of James and Aneta McIntyre, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Salem, OR. 2006.010.036

ca. 268-270 CE

Hallie Ford Museum of Art

0.722 in
0.120 oz

Latin

Coin

This item can be viewed on Hallie Ford Museum of Art's website.