Owner Comments:
By 293 AD, the experiment of the "Rule of Two" had evolved into the "Rule of Four". Senior Augustus Diocletian and co-Augustus Maximian each selected a Caesar to share the imperial burden. Diocletian chose the fierce Galerius for the East, while Maximian selected his capable son-in-law, Constantius Chlorus, for the West.
To advertise this monumental new era of stability, each ruler struck coins for themselves and their imperial colleagues using similar designs and epithets. This massive bronze nummus was struck by Maximian at Aquileia, a mint under his control. Weighing nearly 11 grams, it is physically imposing compared to the relatively diminutive, silver-washed coins of the previous decades. It features the "Standard" Tetrarchal portrait: a blocky, thick-necked, and authoritarian bust that emphasizes the office of Emperor rather than the individual. The reverse depicts Genius (the protective spirit of the Roman people) holding a patera and cornucopia. This specific design was struck in unison by all four Emperors across all mints — a deliberate propaganda campaign to project total harmony to the public.
The year this coin was minted, 296 AD, marked the beginning of Maximian’s greatest military triumph. While his Caesar reclaimed Britain, Maximian crossed the Mediterranean to confront the Quinquegentiani, a coalition of Berber tribes ravaging Mauretania. This was no facile police action; it was a brutal, multi-year war in the desert and mountains. Maximian relentlessly drove the enemy back, wiping out strongholds and pushing the survivors deep into the Sahara. He returned to Rome in 299 AD to a hero’s welcome.
Following this victory, Maximian retired to his luxurious estates in Italy, leaving the frontier wars to his subordinates. In 303 AD, he met Diocletian in Rome to celebrate their Vicennalia (20th anniversary). Amidst the pomp, however, the ailing Diocletian extracted a secret oath: they would retire together. In 305 AD, true to his word but reluctant in spirit, Maximian abdicated.
It should have been the perfect ending to a glorious imperial career: the shopkeeper’s son who became a god, saved the Empire, and retired in peace. But Maximian was a man of war, not cabbages. His story does not end here. In the coming years, he would storm back into history, desperately seeking to reclaim Rome's throne.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximian, 286-310 AD, BI Nummus (10.47 g), Struck in 296 AD in Aquileia, NGC Grade: Ch AU★, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate bust right, IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, Reverse: Genius standing left, holding patera & cornucopia, GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, AQS in exergue, References: RIC VI Aquileia 23b.
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.