MAXIMIANUS
AD 286-305AE Antoninianus. 3.0g, 22.5mm
MINTED: Lugdunum mint, AD 286-288
REF: RIC 372 var. (officina); Cohen 280
OBVERSE: IMP C VAL MAXIMIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: HERCVLI PACIFERO, Hercules standing facing, head left, olive branch upward in right hand, club and lion's skin in left; Γin left field.
Grade/Notes:
Almost Very Fine. Dark brown patina. Slightly weak reverse with malachite green deposits.
Historical Notes:
Maximianus, also known as Maximian or Maximianus Herculius, was an acclaimed Roman general who was made co-emperor by his close friend and ally Diocletian when the latter ascended to the throne. When Diocletian decided to retire in 305 after 21 years of rule, he enjoined Maximianus to do the same so that their respective Caesars, Galerius and Constantius I, could take their places and rule the empire. Maximianus was reluctant to abdicate, and in 306, urged on by his son, Maxentius to join his revolt against the legitimate emperors, Maximianus took the purple for the second time. He was forced to retire again in 308, but in 310, he declared himself Augustus in rebellion against Constantine I. His third reign lasted mere months, and when captured by Constantine, he was forced to commit suicide.
