CARINUS, as Caesar
AD 282-283Silvered Antoninianus. 3.52g, 23.2mm
MINTED: Cyzicus mint, AD 284
REF: RIC 324OBVERSE: IMP M AVR CARINVS PF AVG, Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: CLEMENTIA TEMP, Jupiter standing left, holding sceptre, presenting Victory on globe to Carinus standing right; Δ in between; XXI in exergue.
Notes:A nice example, with almost full original surface silvering intact.
Historical Notes:
Carinus was the elder son of the short-lived Emperor Carus, who was killed in late 283 after a campaign against the Sassanids. When Carinus's brother and co-emperor Numerian died suddenly the following year, Carinus faced a challenge for power by Diocletian, the commander of the Imperial cavalry. Their two armies met at the Battle of the Margus in July 285, and though Carinus initially gained the upper hand in the conflict, he was assassinated by one of his own officers, and Diocletian thus ended up sole ruler of the Empire.
