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For career advancement in ancient Rome, family ties were the ultimate accelerator. Such was the case for Maximinus II (c. 270–313 AD), whose career took a significant leap forward when the position of Eastern Caesar was bestowed to his adoptive uncle, Galerius. When the latter ascended to Augustus a decade later, sure enough, he chose Maximinus II as his successor.
As the new Eastern Caesar, Maximinus II (also referred to as Maximinus Daia) was given the assignment to rule over Syria and Egypt. It was a fantastic promotion, but any further advance up the career ladder was very limited within the official Tetrarchy. Maximinus II's ambition was put to the test at the 308 AD Carnuntum conference. Hoping to be named the new Western Augustus, he was instead snubbed in favor of Galerius’ general, Licinius. As a hollow consolation prize, he was granted the invented title Filius Augustorum (Son of the Augusti). Frustrated by this lack of real authority, Maximinus II eventually accepted his troops' acclamation as Augustus in 310 AD. When Galerius died a year later, Maximinus II launched a rapid land grab, seizing control of Asia Minor and reaching an uneasy impasse with his rival Licinius at the Bosporus.
This contemporaneous nummus, struck in the great northern capital of Treveri (Trier), is a fascinating example of diplomatic necessity over political reality. At the time, the Treveri mint was under the control of the Western Augustus, namely Constantine. Although tensions were high between Maximinus II and Constantine, the protocols established by Diocletian still demanded that each Augustus strike coins acknowledging his colleagues across the Empire. (Not to mention, tensions were even higher between Maximinus II and Licinius, who eventually engaged in open war ever as they also struck coins in each other's name, see the next coin in this collection). To this end, Trier's artisans did their utmost in this coin's design to stay within the rules while still expressing their own artistry and ideology.
The obverse features a laureate, cuirassed bust of Maximinus II, but the handicraft here carried out by the Trier engravers is quite distinct compared to the work product of the artisans in the East. In a world where the Emperors were increasingly becoming interchangeable icons of power, this portrait looks remarkably like those found on coins struck for Constantine in the same workshops. Of particular note is Maximinus II's beard, which is nearly imperceptible. While it is not clear if this depiction is by design or accident, it is interesting to note that Constantine bucked the Tetrarchy's beard-bearing paradigm by eventually deciding to go clean-shaven himself. Comparing this coin to the previous one in the Collection is a study in the shift in sensibilities and ideologies between West and East.
The same theme can be likewise appreciated by comparing the reverse of the current and previous coins. On the previous coin, the figure of Genius on Maximinus II's own issue was accompanied by the epithet GENIO AVGVSTI, paying direct homage to the divine spirit of the Emperors. In contrast, on the current coin struck in Maximinus II's name at Constantine's mint, the figure of Genius on the reverse bears a different inscription, the more traditional GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, celebrating the Genius of the Roman people, rather than the Augusti.
By honoring the Genius of the People rather than the Genius of the Augustus, Constantine’s mint was signaling a more inclusive, state-centric approach to divinity. While Maximinus II was busy in the East promoting a radical religious counter-reformation centered on the Emperor's role as the primary pagan intercessor, the West was retreating into a safer, more institutional form of Roman identity. It is a relic of a time when the Empire’s unity existed only on the surface of its currency, masking the deep-seated rivalries that would soon lead to the final civil wars of the Tetrarchy.
Ultimately, Maximinus II's faith was not enough to protect him from the consolidation of his enemies. Sensing that the alliance between Constantine and Licinius was a death sentence for his regime, Maximinus II launched a desperate, surprise invasion into Licinius’ territory during the winter of 313 AD. After a grueling forced march across Asia Minor, his exhausted troops met Licinius at the Battle of Tzirallum. Despite his numerical superiority, Maximinus II's lines broke. In one of the great humiliations of the era, the once-ambitious Augustus was forced to flee the battlefield disguised as a slave.
He survived for only a short time as a fugitive. In a final, ironic echo of his uncle Galerius, Maximinus II's very last imperial act was a decree of religious tolerance, restoring the properties he had so recently confiscated from the Christians. He died shortly thereafter — possibly by poison — leaving behind a legacy that would be largely defined by the pro-Christian historians who outlasted him.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Maximinus II, BI Reduced Nummus, Trier, AD 310-313, Struck by Constantine, NGC Grade: AU, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate, cuirassed bust right, IMP MAXIMINVS PF AVG, Reverse: Genius standing left, turreted, loins draped, holding patera and cornucopia, GENIO-POP ROM, T-F across fields, Mintmark PTR, References: RIC VI Trier 845a; Sear 14857.
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.