| Naville Numismatics Ltd. > Auction 93 | Auction date: 15 December 2024 |
| Lot number: 850 Price realized: 5,500 GBP (Approx. 6,938 USD / 6,614 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Domitus Domitianus, 296-297 Follis Alexandria circa 295-296, Æ 26.00 mm., 10.50 g. IMP CL DOMITIVS DOMITIANVS AVG Laureate head r. Rev. GENIO POPV – L – I ROMANI Genius standing l., with modius on head and naked but for chlamys over l. shoulder, holding patera in r. hand and cornucopiae in l.; in l. field, eagle and in r., Γ. In exergue, ALE. C 1. RIC 20. Very rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. Brown tone and Extremely Fine. Ex Hess 20 October 1909, 487; Hess April 1934, 1927; UBS 78, 2008, 1930 and NAC 80, 2014, 234 sales. The personal history of Lucius Domitius Domitianus and the circumstances of his attempted usurpation in Egypt remain obscure. All that is known for certain is that early in Diocletian's Tetrarchy, Egypt attempted to break away from the Empire, perhaps spurred by Roman military setbacks against Persia in AD 296. Historical records name the leader of the revolt as a certain Aurelius Achilleus, who took the title "Corrector of Egypt," but it is uncertain whether this rebel was the same man as Domitianus, or whether he was a supporter of Domitianus, or perhaps even a general who instigated the revolt and selected Domitianus as a figurehead ruler. In addition to bronze folles such as this one on the regular imperial denominational system, Domitianus also struck coins on the old Egyptian standard, all of them dated "Year Two," suggesting the revolt lasted longer than a year. The rebels may have had pro-Persian sympathies or may have been directly supported by the Persians. In any case, Diocletian undertook to crush the rebellion in mid-AD 297 and stormed Alexandria after a bitter siege. The fates of Domitianus and his alter-ego or backer Achilleus are unknown, but no doubt unpleasant. Diocletian's rage at the city was such that one chronicler claims he vowed to slaughter the inhabitants until blood reached his horse's knees. Fortunately, his horse stumbled early in the pogrom, sparing thousands of lives. The Alexandrians, famous for their fatalistic humour, later erected a bronze statue of Diocletian's horse. This rare bronze follis of Domitianus is identical in most respects to the pre-revolt coins struck in Alexandria for Diocletian and the other three tetrarchs, with an imperial portrait rendered in the almost generic "hard" style of the period. The reverse depicts the Genius, or spirit, of the Roman People, pouring out a libation with an eagle, representing Jupiter, at his feet. Starting price: 2000 GBP |  |
