#gallic empire

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

François Emile Ehrmann (French, 1833-1910) Vercingétorix appelant les Gaulois à la défense d’Alaise, 1869 Musée d'Art Roger Quillot, Clermont-Ferrand

[corporialus]

Beautiful Aureus featuring a rare 3/4 Facing bust of Postumus, reverse features Postumus seated, suppliant before him.

[blueiscoool]

Coin reveals little-known Roman ruler

Treasure hunters have unearthed a coin bearing the head of a virtually unknown Roman ruler who briefly held power in Gaul around A.D. 270 as the empire teetered.

It is only the second coin ever found showing the head of Domitianus, who seized power — and the mint — in the breakaway Gallic Empire, which included modern England, France and parts of Germany and lasted for 15 turbulent years.

“We know next to nothing about Domitianus, except that he was ‘punished’ by the Roman Emperor Aurelian for treason,” Richard Abdy, curator of Roman coins at the British Museum, told Reuters. “But at least now we know what he looked like.”

Studied by coin experts

The first coin bearing Domitianus’ head was found in the Loire area of France in 1900, dismissed as a fake because his name was unknown and then lost from sight in a small museum in Nantes until very recently.

“It is now being studied by numismatists. When I showed our coin to the woman who has been working on it she jumped for joy because it bore out everything she had said about hers,” Abdy said, noting the French coin had been dated to A.D. 271.

The Gallic Empire was established in 260, when rule from Rome was weakening, by Postumus. He was succeeded nine years later by Marius, who held the throne for a matter of weeks before being strangled and in turn replaced by Victorinus, who ruled until 271 when he too was murdered.

Domitianus is believed to have murdered Victorinus, who had a habit of raping the wives of his subordinates, before himself being ousted by Tetricus. Tetricus ruled from 271 to 274, when he was defeated by Aurelian and the empire was restored.

Found on farmland

The British coin, which goes on show at the British Museum starting Wednesday, was found on farmland near Oxford just under a year ago as part of a hoard of 5,000 Roman coins fused together in an earthenware pot.

“It is a type of coin we know as a ‘radiant’ because there are rays radiating from his head. It is a two-denarii piece, which at that time, when they were coining money as fast as they could, would have been worth a couple of hours’ work,” Abdy said.

The base metal coin, which originally had a surface coating of silver, is now conservatively estimated to be worth a five-figure sum, Abdy said.

At the time it was minted, the once-mighty Roman Empire was undergoing a period of intense flux.

The years between 270 and 285 were marked by chaos in the empire, with more than 20 different emperors and 30 different pretenders fighting for power. Only one of these leaders died a natural death.

By Jeremy Lovell.

Original posted Feb. 24, 2004.

The Coin Hoard

Until this discovery was made some scholars doubted the historical significance of Domitianus who is named just twice in the historical sources. The Oxfordshire coin provides archaeological evidence suggesting that he successfully proclaimed himself emperor of a breakaway part of the Roman Empire during the reign of Aurelian (AD 270-5).

Richard Abdy (Curator of Roman coins at the British Museum) said that ‘during the 270s AD the fabric of the Roman Empire had become strained. Breakaway empires, like the so-called ‘Gallic Empire’ that included Britain, were established and ruled by a succession of rebel emperors. Finding a coin produced in the name of Domitianus means that he should now be recognised as one such rebel emperor.’

The failure of Roman writers to identify him as a rebel emperor even led the only other coin of Domitianus – found in France in 1900 – to be dismissed as a modern fake. The new discovery was struck from the same dies that were used to produce this earlier find and has therefore put its authenticity beyond any doubt.

Ian Leins (Finds Adviser, Iron Age and Roman coins, Portable Antiquities Scheme) said ‘the portrait on the new coin very closely resembles that of the rebel emperors Victorinus and Tetricus. It is highly possible that other coins of Domitianus exist in the collections of museums and individuals but have escaped detection. It is important that people start to pay more attention to these often neglected finds and record them with their local Finds Liaison Officer.’

[twofielder]

Coin of the Day #106 (8/18/2024)

I’m probably just going to keep picking from this bag, there’s so many nice ones…

Roman Splinter State - Gallic Empire

BI Antoninianus - 22mm 4.33g

Postumus 266-267 AD

Treveri Mint

Obverse IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG

Bust of Postumus right, radiate, draped, cuirassed

Reverse SALVS AVG

Aesculapius (Asclepius) standing right, head left, leaning on serpent staff, globe at feet

Mairat 348

[todd-queen]

it's midnight but can we PLEASE talk about the use of Greek and Roman mythology in TBOSAS and what it means for each of the characters !!

Ex. Sejanus: Roman soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius until his execution for treason in AD 31

[gorbo-longstocking]

names are hard

[oneapatheticwinter]

no hate to Vercingetorix (love u bestie), but if i were at the Battle of Alesia 52bc, i would simply ask Caesar to Chill™

[jkooll1212-blog]

How Did Julius Caesar Change the Course of History?

[azures-grace]

I made a comic after finishing the Gallic Wars, because I can and I thought it was funny.

Script: Caesar: Now, I like corn as much as the next guy-- Person: Sir, Uxellodunum has a lot of corn. Caesar: shit... what don't they have? Person: water, sir Caesar: take that. Stick Figure Caesar: WE'RE COMING FOR YOUR WATER!!

[whencyclopedia]

Pertinax

Pertinax was Roman Emperor for three months in 193 CE and, as successor to Commodus, it was hoped that he would restore much needed sobriety to the office of emperor. However, the former teacher, as well as putting in order the affairs of state, also embarked on a series of state spending cuts which led to his general unpopularity and eventual downfall at the hands of the Praetorian Guard.

After the assassination of Roman Emperor Commodus on December 31, 192 CE, the empire's throne was left vacant. As in the past - such as in the death of Emperor Caligula - the choice of a successor fell to the Praetorian Guard. Since there were no familial candidates, they chose a former teacher and military commander, Publius Helvius Pertinax. Unfortunately, his lack of skill in appeasing those around him (such as the Senate, the Guard, and the citizenry) would bring about his demise. After only eighty-seven days on the imperial throne, he would be dead. In his Roman History, Cassius Dio wrote, “Pertinax was as excellent and upright man, but he ruled only a very short time, and was then put out of the way by the soldiers.”

Early Life

Pertinax was born on August 1, 126 CE at Alba Pompeia in Liguria to a freed slave Helvius Successus; his mother's name is unknown. He led a truly 'rags to riches' story as his father went from slavery to success and wealth in the wool trade, allowing his son to receive a classical education which, in turn, permitted Pertinax to lead a quiet and uneventful life as a teacher of grammar. However, in 161 CE, at the age of thirty-five, he tired of the low pay and left teaching to enter the military.

Although he had no previous military experience, his education and family's money granted him the luxury of becoming the commander of a small legion of Gallic soldiers in Syria. His unique ability as a leader did not go unnoticed by those around him, and he quickly became a tribune stationed at York. Later, he fought alongside the future emperor Marcus Aurelius on the Danube frontier. Despite some early friction, his close ties to Marcus Aurelius eventually helped him become a senator, a consul in 175 CE, the governor of Dacia and later Syria in 181 CE, and prefect of Rome in 189 CE.

Continue reading...

[take-it-on-the-run]

Fox Mulder Playlist

"You're my one in five billion."

Fox Mulder Masterlist | The X-Files Masterlist | Main Page Masterlist

A/N: Could also be interpreted as 'Being in Love With Fox Mulder'. You guys, I don't think you can understand the amount of yearning I feel for this man. He's already shot up to number two on my list™ and is probably going to get promoted to #1 if I write for him. I'm going to throw up because I love him so much.

Fox On The Run // Sweet

Fox on the run; you scream and everybody comes a-running; take a run and hide yourself away

Spooky // Dusty Springfield

You always keep me guessing; I never seem to know what you are thinking

Psycho Killer // Talking Heads

I can't seem to face up to the facts; I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax

Light My Fire // The Doors

The time to hesitate is through; no time to wallow in the mire

The Killing Moon // Echo & the Bunnymen

Fate; up against your will; through the thick and thin

Pretty Girls Make Graves // The Smiths

I could have been wild and I could have been free; but nature played this trick on me

The Adults Are Talking // The Strokes

They've been saying you're sophisticated; they've been complaining overeducated; you are saying all the words I'm dreaming

Fade Into You // Mazzy Star

I wanna hold the hand inside you; I wanna take the breath that's true

Vampire Empire // Big Thief

I see you there, rejecting all your earthly power; protecting and dissecting 'til you've emptied every hour

Lover, You Should've Come Over // Jeff Buckley

Too young to hold on; and too old to just break free and run

Cherry // Lana Del Rey

Love; I said real love; is like feelin' no fear

No. 1 Party Anthem // Arctic Monkeys

The look of love, the rush of blood; the "She's with me" is the Gallic shrug

The Night We Met // Lord Huron

I am not the only traveler; who has not repaid his debt; I've been searching for a trail to follow again; take me back to the night we met

Sailor Song // Gigi Perez

Oh, won't you kiss me on the mouth and love me like a sailor?; And when you get a taste, can you tell me what's my flavor?; I don't believe in God, but I believe that you're my savior

Everlong - Acoustic Version // Foo Fighters

And I wonder; when I sing along with you; if everything could ever feel this real forever; if anything could ever be this good again

[o1iveangel]

Hi, You have got into Roman history a lot lately would you mind recommending some books or any other sources you use to study for your art pieces? I love your art and funny personality. You are amazing. Only if you have time! Thanks in advance.

omg absolutely!! i’m getting a minor in classics with my english major (my evil evil english major 🙏) so i get most of my info from ancient sources such as:

plutarch’s parallel lives, caesars gallic war and civil war accounts, cicero’s letters (you’ve got to read cicero’s letters he’s so funny), cicero’s speeches/philosophical works (rn i’m reading the tusculan disputations and they’re great), cassius dio’s roman history, suetonius’ 12 caesars etc.

of these ones only cicero and caesar were writing directly during that time (the late republic) while the others are later accounts

then for contemporary sources, i’ll be honest my first intro to the romans was a crazy long textbook called “the romans from village to empire” but that very much reads like a textbook and its rlly more for a classroom setting, so i’d start with tom hollands “rubicon” to get into it in a more narrative format

after that there is one book that was really formative of my knowledge about the late republic and that is Christian Meier’s “Caesar” biography, it can seem a little daunting at first but it is extremely well written and it gives a great examination on the overall political/social climate of the time (also it made me cry a bunch it’s such a beautiful book), it was recommended to me by my latin/roman history prof (just make sure u get the english translation unless u can read german) this is quite literally one of the best books i have ever read period tho as well

i’ve also read anthony everitt’s “Cicero” bio which is quite popular and which i enjoyed and goodman and soni’s “rome’s last citizen” which is a contemporary bio of cato the younger, most recently I read seagars bio of pompey which I thought did a good job of expressing the contradictory nature of both his need for veneration from the senate and people and his need to assert himself to continue to gain this veneration (which made him feared by the political order because of the power he possessed)

I like pompey quite a bit so i’m pretty sympathetic to him bc i just think it’s so sad that he was fighting his whole life to gain a kind of trust from the senate that was simply not possible, and he twisted and turned in a bunch of different ways attempting to achieve this until his death (but that’s just a little off topic thing abt why im fascinated by him)

overall i think starting with rubicon and paring it with cicero’s letters to atticus (i read the loeb classical library translation bc i get it through my school but there are publicly available online translations too!) is a good place to start!

also thank you so much for loving my art!! and thank u for finding me funny omg ur so sweet!! i’m so glad it’s made you curious abt the romans they’re so great and awful and wonderful and horrible 🫶 i hope you have lots of fun reading abt them and id be happy to answer any other questions abt them to the best of my ability!

[blueiscoool]

Archaeologists Uncover ‘Astonishing’ Remains of Horses Buried 2,000-Years-Ago

Archaeologists in France have uncovered nine “astonishing” graves containing the skeletons of 28 horses that were buried about 2,000 years ago, though their precise cause of death remains a mystery.

Discovered in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a commune in central France, two of the graves have been fully excavated so far, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) said in a statement.

The horses have been radiocarbon-dated back to somewhere between 100 BC to 100 AD.

Archaeologists found 10 complete horse skeletons in one pit and two in the other, all carefully placed in the same manner lying on their right flank with their heads to the south.

All these horses were buried at the same time shortly after their deaths, archaeologists said after observing the position of the skeletons and the connections between the bones.

Another grave is situated between these two pits but it contains two medium-sized dogs, both lying on their left side with their heads facing west.

Archaeologists have yet to fully excavate the remaining graves but have already identified a total of 28 horses from the skulls and coxal bones that appear on the surface.

Killed in battle, or ritual sacrifice?

However, the horses’ precise cause of death still remains unclear.

Archaeologists have ruled out an epidemic since there are no foals or mares in these graves; all the skeletons are fully-grown stallions aged over four years old. That leaves, archaeologists said, the possibilities that these horses were either killed in battle or as part of a ritual sacrifice.

When these horses died about 2,000 years ago, there was a fortified Celtic settlement known as an oppidum just a few hundred meters away and this location mirrors that of two other similar horse burial sites that archaeologists had previously uncovered in the same region.

Due to this location, they have hypothesized that the horses’ deaths at the sites could be connected to the battles of the Gallic Wars in which Julius Caesar conquered Gaul between 58 - 50 BC.

There may be another explanation, however: ritual sacrifice.

“The hypothesis that these animals were sacrificed as part of a complex ritual, of which only a few scraps remain, must also be considered,” the INRAP statement said.

If these horses were indeed buried as part of a ritual rather than killed in battle, the sheer number shows the “importance and extent of the sacrifice,” the statement added.

Other finds at the site, which sits on the slope of a valley, include buildings, pits, ditches and a road that archaeologists dated to the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

By Issy Ronald.

[twofielder]

Coin of the Day #238 (12/28/2024)

A rare ancient cast coin…

Roman Splinter State - Gallic Empire

AE Cast Dupondius(?) - 26mm 11.05g

Postumus 261 AD

Treveri Mint

Obverse IMP C M CASS LAT POSTVMVS P F AVG

Bust of Postumus right, radiate, draped, cuirassed, from front

Reverse LAETITIA AVG

Galley going left

RIC V 207, Mairat 124

Original cast, hastily made possibly for immediate need of coinage in Gaul

[cow-cowson]

The Big Show (Part 2): The Coins

(Sorry for the wait)

Philip the Arab Bi Antoninianus 244-247 CE Ob: IMP M IVL PHILIPPVS AVG rv: FIDES MILIT "Fidelity to the military" RIC IV Philip I 32 b.

Gallic Empire: Postumus Bi Antoninianus 260-269 CE Ob: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AUV rv. MONETA AVG "the emperor's money" Colonge(?) mint RIC 315.

Trebonius Gallus Bi Antoninianus 251-253 CE Ob: IMP C C VIB TREB GALUS PF AVG rv: IVNO MARTIALIS "to Juno, the war-like" Antioch mint RIC IV 83 subtype 6.

Constantine the Great AE 2/3 Follis 324-325 CE Ob: (Anepigraphic) rv: CONSTAN/TIVS/AVG/SMANTϵ/● Antioch mint, oficina ϵ RIC VII 57.

Caesarea in Cappadocia, Gordian III 241 CE AE Ob: AY K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC rv: MHTPO(Π)(O) KAIC(A) B N εNTIX/εT Δ "of the metropolis Caesarea, twice neocorate, walled, year 4" RPC VII.2 3351 Counterstamp: head of Helios, radiate, GIC 12i.

Kingdom of Macedon, Alexander the Great (Postumus) AE Half Unit 325-310 BCE Ob: Macedonian shield rv: Macedonian Helmet flanked by B(AΣIΛEΩΣ) A(ΛEΞANΔPOY) , below, coiled serpent. Price 409.

Jodhpur 1/4 Anna, 1939

Empire of China Guang Xu Cash style milled/ 5 Cash 1905/6

Catherine the Great Russian Empire 1770 5 Kopeks

[merovingian-marvels]

The marvelous story of Rouillac

The area surrounding French village Rouillac (dep. Charente, Ar. Cognac) is an Early Medieval unicum.

Of Gallic origin, Rouillac as a village came to prominence due to Roman occupation. Rouillac is likely derived from Rulliacum (domain of Rullius). The area bloomed because of its close proximity to the Via Agrippa. This is visible in the presence of a Roman theatre, bath houses and a Gallo-Roman burial site/sanctuary (located in Bouchauds). Unique finds include a statuette of Epona, a Gallic goddess.

Like most great Roman settlements, the area continued to be inhabited by people after the fall of the (Western-) Roman Empire. The site was inhabited both by Merovingians and Visigoths.

The area continued to be a rich society, shown in the Germanic burial site at Herpes. The site also shows how the Goths and Franks lived in good coexistence with each other.

Rouillac is because of this coexistence the southernmost and westernmost Merovingian village and the northernmost Visigothic village.

The parure above is Merovingian, but shows clear gothic influences (predominantly in the radiate-headed brooches).

The British Museum, London - United Kingdom

Museum nrs. 1905,0520.994

Found in Herpes, Charente - France