Item number: A1692

Year: AD 253-268

Material: Billon

Size: 18.1 x 16.6 mm

Weight: 2.74 g

Manufactured by: Rome Mints

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2014

This is an antoninianus coin issued by Gallienus, featuring his wife, the Empress Augusta, Publia Licinia Julia Cornelia Salonina.

The obverse of the coin depicts a left-facing portrait of Salonina, adorned with a female diadem and resting upon a crescent moon, a common artistic representation of imperial women in Roman numismatics. Encircling the portrait is the inscription “SALONINA AVG,” signifying “Salonina Augusta.” The title of Augusta represented the highest honour conferred upon imperial women, granting the bearer the right to issue coins with her own likeness, to preside over her palace, and, at times, to share certain aspects of imperial authority.

The reverse of the coin is heavily worn and no longer identifiable. However, based on the raised areas most susceptible to wear and comparisons with excavated specimens, the reverse likely depicted Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. In most compositions of this type, Venus is shown standing, holding a sceptre in one hand and an apple in the other, with Cupid at her feet. Since Julius Caesar claimed descent from Venus, the goddess became an emblem of Roman lineage. The iconography here suggests Venus’s roles as a deity of love and fertility, while simultaneously alluding to Salonina’s fulfilment of her maternal duties.

Throughout his reign, Gallienus was engaged in continuous military campaigns, yet he was ultimately unable to prevent the empire’s decline and fragmentation. During his tenure, several mints were relocated to frontline regions to facilitate the production of military donatives. In addition to Rome, major mints included Milan, Lugdunum (modern Lyon), Colonia Agrippina (modern Cologne), Antioch, and Alexandria.

Gallienus’s rule coincided with the peak of what historians term the “Crisis of the Third Century,” a period of profound turmoil from AD 236, following the usurpation of Severus Alexander, to AD 284, when Diocletian ascended the throne. During this crisis, multiple simultaneous challenges brought the empire to the brink of collapse. The vast expanse of the empire hindered efficient communication and forced the Romans into a defencive posture. With fewer opportunities to plunder enemy territories, emperors resorted to costly bribery to maintain the loyalty of their legions. This growing dependence on the military fostered the political ambitions of army commanders, leading to increasingly frequent civil wars.

The labour force, already weakened by the Cyprian Plague, was further depleted as survivors were conscripted into military service, exacerbating the strain on state finances. Silver mines in the Iberian Peninsula were being exhausted, while agricultural output declined due to climate cooling and droughts, leading to widespread inflation and public discontent. As northern tribes migrated south in search of arable land, their incursions devastated agricultural areas. With the empire’s defencive depth eroded, military costs surged due to the need for extensive fortifications and defencive measures. During Gallienus’s reign, the Balkans, Gaul, Egypt, and Milan experienced significant rebellions. Concurrently, the empire faced invasions by the Goths, Persians, Alamanni, and Heruli. Although Gallienus achieved several military victories, he ultimately failed to prevent the secession of the Gallic Empire and the Palmyrene Empire. After a successful battle, he was assassinated by officers within his camp.

As previously noted, both the precious metal content and the weight of the coinage rapidly declined during this period. When Caracalla introduced the antoninianus in AD 215, its face value equated to two denarii, but its silver content only matched 1.5 denarii. By the time Gallienus ascended the throne in AD 253, the silver content had fallen to 35%, and by AD 260, it had plummeted to 15%. The coin’s average weight decreased from 3.1 grams to 2.8 grams. During Gallienus’s reign, portraiture became more abstract, with iconography predominantly emphasising military victories and divine protection. This stylistic shift reflects both the declining craftsmanship resulting from mass production and the pervasive instability of the empire.

物件編號: A1692

年代: 公元 253-268 年

材質: 賤金屬

尺寸: 18.1 x 16.6 mm

重量: 2.74 g

製造地: 羅馬鑄幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2014

這是一枚加里恩努斯(Gallienus)發行，以其妻，皇后奧古斯塔，普布利亞·利西尼亞·朱莉婭·科內莉亞·薩隆妮娜(Publia Licinia Julia Cornelia Salonina)為主題的安敦尼幣。

硬幣的正面是薩隆妮娜的左側肖像，頭戴女性冠冕，被托於新月之上，這是古羅馬錢幣藝術中皇室女性的常見形象。周圍環繞著幣文「SALONINA AVG」，即「薩隆妮娜，奧古斯塔」。奧古斯塔是羅馬帝國對皇室女性所能奉上最高級的尊稱，該頭銜意味著，一位奧古斯塔能發行有著自身肖像的貨幣，統治自己的宮殿，乃至有時能擁有與皇帝共治的部分權力。

硬幣的背面磨損嚴重，已無法辨別。但如果假定銀班為較易受到磨損的凸起處，結合已出土其他硬幣的圖案，可能為愛與美之神維納斯。在大多數構圖中，維納斯持權杖站立，手持蘋果，撫育腳邊的邱比特。自尤里烏斯·凱撒宣稱自身為維納斯後裔後，母神維納斯也成為了羅馬人民血脈的象徵。該圖樣體現了維納斯作為愛與繁育之神的一面，同時也暗示了薩隆妮娜出色的完成了母職。

加里恩努斯一生南征北戰，卻無法阻止帝國的衰弱與分裂。任內一些鑄幣廠也隨之遷往各前線，以提供士兵賞賜所需。除最主要的羅馬外，米蘭、里昂、科隆、安條克、亞歷山大港等也均可能曾發行過錢幣。

加里恩努斯的統治時期，正是史家所稱「三世紀危機」的最高峰。「三世紀危機」是指羅馬帝國自公元236年塞維魯遭篡，至公元284年戴克里先即位期間。多項危機同時爆發，羅馬帝國幾乎傾覆的局面。羅馬帝國的疆域已經使當時的各區域無法快速聯絡，從而轉採守勢，但縱掠外敵機會的減少，讓皇帝不得不重金賄賂以提高軍團的忠誠。對軍人的倚重滋長了軍事領袖的野心，羅馬內戰愈趨頻仍，作為經濟基礎的勞動力，在賽普勒斯瘟疫下倖存後，被填充至行伍，軍費開支也進一步增加。伊比利半島的銀礦此時也逐漸枯竭，錢幣不斷減低的貴金屬含量，與因為農業產量降低而同時發生的通貨膨脹，激發了士兵與民眾的不滿。氣候轉寒導致的乾旱，使農作減產，同時也迫使北方部落南下劫掠求生。此時轉趨守勢的羅馬帝國，已失去了過往可以放任敵軍後，再一舉而殲的縱深，對於農業活動的破壞以及對於防禦設施的建築使防守成本進一步增加。在加里恩努斯任內，巴爾幹半島、高盧、埃及、米蘭皆叛，還要面對西徐亞、波斯、阿勒曼尼、赫魯利人的入侵，皇帝勝多敗少，但仍無法阻止高盧與帕米拉地區的分裂。最終在一場勝戰後，反被左近的軍官刺殺。

如同前述，該時期錢幣的貴金屬含量、重量都迅速減少。公元215年，卡拉卡拉最初推出安敦尼幣以聚斂時，面額為2第納里烏斯銀幣，但銀含量也相當於1.5個第納里烏斯銀幣。到加里恩努斯即位時的公元253年，銀含量只剩35%，到公元260年，銀含量只剩15%。重量也從平均3.1克降低到2.8克。加里恩努斯時期，肖像的風格趨於抽象，主題多強調軍事勝利與神聖加持，反映了濫發貨幣下工藝的下降，以及帝國的動盪。