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The assassination of the young Caesar Saloninus ~260 AD marked a chaotic end to the Valerian dynasty's authority in the West. But where tragedy ended, secession began. The victim's executioner, the general Postumus, was enthusiastically proclaimed Augustus by his victorious troops. Postumus inherited a military crisis, but he transformed it into a political opportunity, establishing a new and independent Romano-Gallic Empire. He promoted his new realm through coins such as this one that boldly advertises a new legitimacy, but ultimately reveals its deepest irony.
On the obverse, the new breakaway realm leader's cuirassed bust is replete with military drapery and a radiate crown. Along with the encircling inscription IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG (Imperator Caesar Postumus Pius Felix Augustus), the numismatic design on this coin deliberately resembles official Roman imperial coinage. Instead of Rome, however, this coin was struck at the new imperial realm's capital, namely Treveri (modern-day Trier), at the demarcation of territories over which Postumus reigned: Gaul, Britannia, and parts of Hispania.
The profound irony of Postumus’s reign, and the core of the coin's propaganda, lies on the reverse: the figure of Pax (the goddess of Peace) standing left, holding a scepter and an olive branch, with the bold declaration PAX AVG (the Peace of the Augustus). Such a reverse motif might seem odd on coinage in the name of someone whose path to the purple was paved by civil war and regicide. While this legend was crucial propaganda, it was probably not aimed at Rome, but rather to Postumus' own subjects. Having fractured the Empire, Postumus needed to reassure the wealthy, war-weary Western provinces that his usurpation was a solution, not a new problem. This reverse inscription thus advertised an end to the debilitating border insecurity and the political folly that had claimed Saloninus, promising stable borders and reliable local rule in exchange for loyalty.
At least for a while, Postumus did provide relative peace. He created a mirror image of the central Empire, complete with his own Senate, consuls, and Praetorian Guard. He successfully defended the Rhine frontier for nearly ten years, focusing on consolidation rather than threatening Rome directly. However, the same military volatility that brought him to power eventually brought about his downfall. In AD 269, after defeating the usurper Laelianus at Mogontiacum (Mainz), Postumus refused to let his troops sack the city. Disaffected and denied their plunder, his own soldiers murdered him.
The Romano-Gallic Empire reached its peak under Postumus' rule, and his demise marked the beginning of its end. The breakaway state lingered under a rapid succession of weaker rulers: Marius, Victorinus, and finally Tetricus I. After the latter's 274 AD surrender to Augustus Aurelian, the rebellious provinces were reintegrated back into their parent. The success of that reclamation testified not only to Rome's resurgence, but also maintenance of Roman sensibilities and systems in the West. In this fashion, Posthumus served as his territory's steward, staving off the slide back into barbaricum until Rome regained her strength. Perhaps the greatest irony behind Postumus' legacy is not his push for peace amidst the violent birth of a breakaway realm, but that his usurpation paved the way for a stronger Roman Empire in its wake.
Coin Details: ROMANO-GALLIC EMPIRE, Postumus, 260-269 AD, BI Double-Denarius (23 mm, 2.39 g, 6h), Treveri (Trier) mint, 6th emission, 268 AD, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 4/5, Obverse: Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG, Reverse: Pax standing left, holding olive branch in raised right hand and transverse scepter in left, PAX AVG, P to left. References: RIC V 318; Mairat 162-5; AGK 53; RSC 215c var. (star in rev. field).
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.