GORDIAN III 238AD Nicaea Bythinia Ancient Roman Coin EAGLE STANDARDS i49388

Description

Item:
i49388
Authentic Ancient  Roman Coin of:
Gordian III -
Roman Emperor
: 238-244 A.D. -
Bronze 19mm (3.73 grams) from the Roman provincial city of Nicaea in the  province
of Bythinia  238-244 A.D.
Reference: SNGCop 526, BMC 114, SGI 3671
M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AV, radiate, draped bust right.
NIKAEΩN, Three legionary standards, centered one tipped with an eagle, the  others
with laurel wreaths.
You are bidding on the exact  item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime  Guarantee of Authenticity.
An
aquila
, or
eagle
, was a prominent symbol used in  ancient Rome, especially as the
standard
of a
Roman legion
. A
legionary
known as an
aquilifer
, or eagle-bearer, carried this  standard. Each legion carried one eagle.
Roman ornament with an aquila (100–200 AD) from the
Cleveland Museum of Art
.
The eagle was extremely important to the Roman military, beyond merely being  a symbol of a legion. A lost standard was considered an extremely grave  occurrence, and the Roman military often went to great lengths to both protect a  standard and to recover it if lost; for example, see the aftermath of the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
, where the  Romans spent decades attempting to recover the lost standards of three legions.
A modern reconstruction of an
aquila
History
The
signa militaria
were the Roman military
ensigns
or
standards
. The most ancient standard employed  by the Romans is said to have been a handful (
manipulus
) of straw fixed  to the top of a spear or pole. Hence the company of soldiers belonging to it was  called a
maniple
. The bundle of
hay
or
fern
was soon succeeded by the figures of  animals, of which
Pliny the Elder
(
H.N.
x.16) enumerates  five: the
eagle
, the
wolf
, the ox with the man's head, the
horse
, and the
boar
. In the second consulship of
Gaius Marius
(104 BC) the four quadrupeds were  laid aside as standards, the eagle (
Aquila
) alone being retained. It was  made of
silver
, or
bronze
, with outstretched wings, but was  probably of a relatively small size, since a standard-bearer (
signifer
)  under
Julius Caesar
is said in circumstances of  danger to have wrenched the eagle from its staff and concealed it in the folds  of his girdle.Under the later emperors the eagle was carried, as it had been for  many centuries, with the legion, a legion being on that account sometimes called
aquila
(Hirt. Bell. Hisp. 30). Each
cohort
had for its own ensign the
serpent
or
dragon
, which was woven on a square piece of  cloth
textilis anguis
, elevated on a
gilt
staff, to which a cross-bar was adapted  for the purpose, and carried by the
draconarius
.
Another figure used in the standards was a ball (orb), supposed to have been  emblematic of the dominion of Rome over the world; and for the same reason a  bronze figure of
Victoria
was sometimes fixed at the top of the  staff, as we see it sculptured, together with small statues of Mars, on the
Column of Trajan
and the
Arch of Constantine
. Under the eagle or other  emblem was often placed a head of the reigning emperor, which was to the army  the object of idolatrous adoration.
[9]
The name of the emperor, or of him who was acknowledged as emperor, was  sometimes inscribed in the same situation. The pole used to carry the eagle had  at its lower extremity an iron point (cuspis) to fix it in the ground, and to  enable the aquilifer in case of need to repel an attack.
The minor divisions of a cohort, called centuries, had also each an ensign,  inscribed with the number both of the cohort and of the century. This, together  with the diversities of the crests worn by the centurions, enabled each soldier  to take his place with ease.
Denarius
minted by
Mark Antony
to pay his legions. On  the reverse, the
aquila
of his
Third legion
.
In the
Arch of Constantine
at Rome there are four  sculptured panels near the top which exhibit a great number of standards and  illustrate some of the forms here described. The first panel represents Trajan  giving a king to the Parthians: seven standards are held by the soldiers. The  second, containing five standards, represents the performance of the sacrifice  called
suovetaurilia
.
When Constantine embraced Christianity, a figure or emblem of Christ, woven  in gold upon purple cloth, was substituted for the head of the emperor. This  richly ornamented standard was called
labarum
. The labarum is still used today by  the
Orthodox Church
in the Sunday service. The  entry procession of the chalice whose contents will soon become holy communion  is modeled after the procession of the standards of the Roman army.
Eagle and weapons from an
Augustan-era
funerary monument,  probably that of
Messalla
(
Prado
,
Madrid
)
Even after the adoption of Christianity as the Roman Empire's religion, the  Aquila eagle continued to be used as a symbol. During the reign of
Eastern Roman Emperor
Isaac I Komnenos
, the single-headed eagle was  modified to
double-headed
to symbolise the Empire's  dominance over
East and West
.
Since the movements of a body of troops and of every portion of it were  regulated by the standards, all the evolutions, acts, and incidents of the Roman  army were expressed by phrases derived from this circumstance. Thus
signa  inferre
meant to advance,
[15]
referre
to retreat, and
convertere
to face about;
efferre
,  or
castris vellere
, to march out of the camp;
ad signa convenire
,  to re-assemble. Notwithstanding some obscurity in the use of terms, it appears  that, whilst the standard of the legion was properly called
aquila
, those  of the cohorts were in a special sense of the term called
signa
, their  bearers being
signiferi
, and that those of the manipuli or smaller  divisions of the cohort were denominated
vexilla
, their bearers being
vexillarii
. Also, those who fought in the first ranks of the legion before  the standards of the legion and cohorts were called
antesignani
.
In military stratagems it was sometimes necessary to conceal the standards.  Although the Romans commonly considered it a point of honour to preserve their  standards, in some cases of extreme danger the leader himself threw them among  the ranks of the enemy in order to divert their attention or to animate his own  soldiers. A wounded or dying standard-bearer delivered it, if possible, into the  hands of his general, from whom he had received it
signis acceptis
.
Lost
Aquilae
Battles where the Aquilae were lost, units that lost the Aquilae and the  fate of the Aquilae:
53 BC -
Battle of Carrhae
. Crassus
Legio X
(returned).
40 BC - defeat of
Decidius Saxa
at
Cilicia
(returned).
36 BC - defeat of
Mark Antony
(returned).
19 BC -
Cantabrian Wars
at Hispania.
Legio I Germanica
(thought to have been  lost, and stripped of its title "Augusta").
9 AD -
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
.
Legio XVII
,
Legio XVIII
, and
Legio XIX
(all recaptured).
66 -
Great Jewish Revolt
.
Legio XII Fulminata
(fate uncertain).
87 -
Domitian's Dacian War
.
Legio V Alaudae
(fate uncertain).
132 -
Bar Kochva Revolt
.
Legio XXII Deiotariana
(fate  uncertain).
161 - Parthians overrun a legion commanded by Severianus at Elegeia  in Armenia, possibly the
Ninth Legion
.
[23]
Modern imagery
Reconstruction of
aquila
on Roman vexilloid
Aquila
clutching fasces, a symbol in Italy during the Fascist  period
Aquila
on the
coat of arms of Romania
Standards
Roman military standards. The standards with discs, or
signa
(
first three on left
) belong to
centuriae
of the  legion (the image does not show the heads of the standards - whether  spear-head or wreathed-palm). Note (
second from right
) the  legion's
aquila
. The standard on the  extreme right probably portrays the
She-wolf
(
lupa
) which fed
Romulus
, the legendary founder of  Rome. (This was the emblem of
Legio VI Ferrata
, a legion then  based in
Judaea
, a detachment of which is  known to have fought in Dacia). Detail from Trajan's Column, Rome
Modern reenactors parade with replicas of various legionary  standards. From left to right:
signum
(spear-head type), with  four discs;
signum
(wreathed-palm type), with six discs;
imago
of ruling emperor; legionary
aquila
;
vexillum
of commander (
legatus
) of
Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix
, with  embroidered name and emblem (
Capricorn
) of legion
Each tactical unit in the imperial army, from
centuria
upwards, had  its own standard. This consisted of a pole with a variety of adornments that was  borne by dedicated standard-bearers who normally held the rank of
duplicarius
.  Military standards had the practical use of communicating to unit members where  the main body of the unit was situated, so that they would not be separated, in  the same way that modern tour-group guides use umbrellas or flags. But military  standards were also invested with a mystical quality, representing the divine  spirit (
genius
) of the unit and were revered as such (soldiers frequently  prayed before their standards). The loss of a unit's standard to the enemy was  considered a terrible stain on the unit's honour, which could only be fully  expunged by its recovery.
The standard of a
centuria
was known as a
signum
, which was  borne by the unit's
signifer
. It consisted of a pole topped by either an  open palm of a human hand or by a spear-head. The open palm, it has been  suggested, originated as a symbol of the
maniple
(
manipulus
= "handful"), the  smallest tactical unit in the
Roman army of the mid-Republic
. The poles were  adorned with two to six silver discs (the significance of which is uncertain).  In addition, the pole would be adorned by a variety of cross-pieces (including,  at bottom, a crescent-moon symbol and a tassel). The standard would also  normally sport a cross-bar with tassels.
The standard of a Praetorian cohort or an auxiliary cohort or
ala
was  known as a
vexillum
or banner. This was a square flag,  normally red in colour, hanging from a crossbar on the top of the pole. Stitched  on the flag would be the name of the unit and/or an image of a god. An exemplar  found in Egypt bears an image of the goddess Victory on a red background. The
vexillum
was borne by a
vexillarius
. A legionary detachment (
vexillatio
)  would also have its own
vexillum
. Finally, a
vexillum
traditionally marked the commander's position on the battlefield.
[194]
The exception to the red colour appears to have been the Praetorian Guard, whose
vexilla
, similar to their clothing, favoured a blue background.
From the time of
Marius
(consul 107 BC), the standard of all  legions was the
aquila
("eagle"). The pole was surmounted  by a sculpted eagle of solid gold, or at least gold-plated silver, carrying  thunderbolts in its claws (representing
Jupiter
, the highest Roman god. Otherwise the  pole was unadorned. No exemplar of a legionary eagle has ever been found  (doubtless because any found in later centuries were melted down for their gold  content). The eagle was borne by the
aquilifer
, the legion's most senior  standard-bearer. So important were legionary eagles as symbols of Roman military  prestige and power, that the imperial government would go to extraordinary  lengths to recover those captured by the enemy. This would include launching  full-scale invasions of the enemy's territory, sometimes decades after the  eagles had been lost e.g. the expedition in 28 BC by
Marcus Licinius Crassus
against
Genucla
(Isaccea, near modern
Tulcea
, Rom., in the Danube delta region), a  fortress of the
Getae
, to recover standards lost 33 years  earlier by
Gaius Antonius
, an earlier
proconsul
of
Macedonia
. Or the campaigns of AD 14-17 to  recover the three eagles lost by
Varus
in AD 6 in the
Teutoburg Forest
.
Under Augustus, it became the practice for legions to carry portraits (
imagines
)  of the ruling emperor and his immediate family members. An
imago
was  usually a bronze bust carried on top of a pole like a standard by an
imaginifer
.
From around the time of Hadrian (r. 117-38), some auxiliary
alae
adopted the dragon-standard (
draco
) commonly carried by Sarmatian cavalry  squadrons. This was a long cloth wind-sock attached to an ornate sculpture of an  open dragon's mouth. When the bearer (
draconarius
) was galloping, it  would make a strong hissing-sound.
Decorations
The Roman army awarded a variety of individual decorations (
dona
) for  valour to its legionaries.
Hasta pura
was a miniature spear;
phalerae
were large medal-like bronze or silver discs worn on the cuirass;
armillae
were bracelets worn on the wrist; and
torques
were worn round the neck, or on the cuirass. The highest  awards were the
coronae
("crowns"), of which the most prestigious was the
corona civica
, a crown made oak-leaves awarded for saving the life of a  fellow Roman citizen in battle. The most valuable award was the
corona  muralis
, a crown made of gold awarded to the first man to scale an enemy  rampart. This was awarded rarely, as such a man hardly ever survived.
There is no evidence that auxiliary common soldiers received individual  decorations like legionaries, although auxiliary officers did. Instead, the  whole regiment was honoured by a title reflecting the type of award e.g.
torquata
("awarded a torque") or
armillata
("awarded bracelets").  Some regiments would, in the course of time, accumulate a long list of titles  and decorations e.g.
cohors I Brittonum Ulpia torquata pia fidelis c.R.
.
Nicaea
Early history, Roman and Byzantine Empires
The place is said to have been colonized by
Bottiaeans
,  and to have originally borne the name of
Ancore
(
Steph.  B.
s. v.) or
Helicore
(Geogr. Min. p. 40, ed. Hudson); but it was  subsequently destroyed by the
Mysians
. A  few years after the death of
Alexander the Great
,
Macedonian
king
Antigonus
— who had taken control of much of
Asia Minor
upon the death of Alexander (under whom Antigonus had served as a  general) — probably after his victory over
Eumenes
, in  316 BC, rebuilt the town, and called it, after himself,
Antigoneia
(
Greek
:
Αντιγόνεια
). (Steph. B. l. c.; Eustath. ad  Horn. II. ii. 863) Several other of Alexander's generals (known together as the
Diadochi
(Latin; original Greek
Diadokhoi
Διάδοχοι/
"successors")) later conspired to remove Antigonus, and after defeating him the  area was given to
Thessalian
general
Lysimachus
(
Lysimakhos
) (circa 355 BC-281 BC) in 301 BC as his share  of the lands. He renamed it
Nicaea
(Greek:
Νίκαια
, also
transliterated
as
Nikaia
or
Nicæa
; see also
List of traditional Greek place names
), in tribute to his wife Nicaea, a  daughter of
Antipater
. (Steph. B., Eustath., Strab., ll. cc.) According to another  account (Memnon, ap. Phot. Cod. 224. p. 233, ed. Bekker), Nicaea was founded by  men from
Nicaea
near
Thermopylae
, who had served in the army of Alexander the Great. The town was  built with great regularity, in the form of a square, measuring 16 stadia in  circumference; it had four gates, and all its streets intersected one another at  right angles, so that from a monument in the centre all the four gates could be  seen. (
Strabo
xii. pp. 565
et seq.
) This monument stood in the gymnasium, which was  destroyed by fire, but was restored with increased magnificence by the
younger Pliny
(Epist. x. 48), when he was governor of
Bithynia
.
The city was built on an important crossroads between
Galatia
and
Phrygia
, and  thus saw steady trade. Soon after the time of Lysimachus, Nicaea became a city  of great importance, and the kings of Bithynia, whose era begins in 288 BC with
Zipoetes
, often resided at Nicaea. It has already been mentioned that in the  time of Strabo it is called the metropolis of Bithynia, an honour which is also  assigned to it on some coins, though in later times it was enjoyed by
Nicomedia
.  The two cities, in fact, kept up a long and vehement dispute about the  precedence, and the 38th oration of
Dio  Chrysostomus
was expressly composed to settle the dispute. From this  oration, it appears that Nicomedia alone had a right to the title of metropolis,  but both were the first cities of the country.
The younger Pliny makes frequent mention of Nicaea and its public buildings,  which he undertook to restore when governor of Bithynia. (Epist. x. 40, 48,  etc.) It was the birthplace of the astronomer
Hipparchus
(ca. 194 BC), the mathematician and astronomer
Sporus
(ca. 240) and the historian
Dio Cassius
(ca. 165).
[1]
It was the death-place of the comedian
Philistion
. The numerous coins of Nicaea which still exist attest the  interest taken in the city by the emperors, as well as its attachment to the  rulers; many of them commemorate great festivals celebrated there in honour of  gods and emperors, as Olympia, Isthmia, Dionysia, Pythia, Commodia, Severia,  Philadelphia, etc. Throughout the imperial period, Nicaea remained an important  town; for its situation was particularly favourable, being only 40 km (25 mi)  distant from
Prusa
(
Pliny
v. 32), and 70 km (43 mi) from
Constantinople
. (
It.  Ant.
p. 141.) When Constantinople became the capital of the
Eastern Empire
, Nicaea did not lose in importance; for its present walls,  which were erected during the last period of the Empire, enclose a much greater  space than that ascribed to the place in the time of Strabo. Much of the  existing architecture and defensive works date to this time, early 300s.
Nicaea suffered much from earthquakes in 358, 362 and 368; after the last of  which, it was restored by the emperor
Valens
. During  the Middle Ages it was for a long time a strong bulwark of the
Byzantine
emperors against the
Turks
.
Nicaea  in early Christianity
In the reign of
Constantine
, 325, the celebrated
First Council of Nicaea
was held there against the
Arian
heresy
, and the  prelates there defined more clearly the concept of the
Trinity
and  drew up the
Nicene  Creed
. The
doctrine
of the Trinity was finalized at the Council of Constantinople in  381 AD which expressly included the Holy Ghost as equal to the Father and the  Son. The first Nicene Council was probably held in what would become the now  ruined mosque of Orchan. The church of Hagia Sophia was built by
Justinian  I
in the middle of the city in the 6th century (modelled after the larger
Hagia  Sophia
in Constantinople), and it was there that the
Second Council of Nicaea
met in 787 to discuss the issues of
iconography
.
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius
(
January  20
,
225
–
February  11
,
244
),  known in
English
as
Gordian III
,
was
Roman  Emperor
from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of
Antonia Gordiana
and his father was an unnamed Roman Senator who died before  238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor
Gordian I
and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II
.  Very little is known on his early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian  had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238.
Rise to power
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander Severus
in Moguntiacum (modern
Mainz
), the  capital of the
Roman province
Germania Inferior
,
Maximinus Thrax
was acclaimed emperor, despite strong opposition of the
Roman senate
and the majority of the population. In response to what was  considered in Rome as a rebellion, Gordian's grandfather and uncle, Gordian I  and II, were proclaimed joint emperors in the
Africa Province
. Their revolt was suppressed within a month by Cappellianus,  governor of
Numidia
and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died,  but public opinion cherished their memory as peace loving and literate men,  victims of Maximinus' oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on Rome and  the Senate elected
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
as joint emperors. These senators were not popular men and the population of  Rome was still shocked by the elder Gordian's fate, so that the Senate decided  to take the teenager Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus as his  grandfather, and raise him to the rank of
Caesar
and imperial heir.
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
defeated Maximinus, mainly due to the defection of several
legions
,  namely the
Parthica
II
who assassinated Maximinus. But their joint reign was  doomed from the start with popular riots, military discontent and even an  enormous fire that consumed Rome in June 238. On
July 29
,  Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by the
Praetorian guard
and Gordian proclaimed sole emperor.
Rule
Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was surrendered  to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of Rome through the  senate. In 240,
Sabinianus
revolted in the African province, but the situation was dealt quickly. In 241,  Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia
Tranquillina
, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect,
Timesitheus
. As chief of the Praetorian guard and father in law of the  emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the
de facto
ruler of the Roman  empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened against the  Germanic tribes across the
Rhine
and
Danube
, and the
Sassanid
kingdom across the
Euphrates
increased its own attacks. When the Persians under
Shapur I
invaded
Mesopotamia
, the young emperor opened the doors of the
Temple of Janus
for the last time in Roman history, and sent a huge army to  the East. The Sassanids were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the
Battle of Resaena
(243). The campaign was a success and Gordian, who had  joined the army, was planning an invasion of the enemy's territory, when his  father-in-law died in unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign,  and the emperor's security, were at risk.
Year of the Six Emperors
-
238
Maximinus Thrax
Gordian I
and
Gordian II
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
, nominally with
Gordian  III
Gordian III
Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as
Philip the Arab
, stepped in at this moment as the new Praetorian Prefect and  the campaign proceeded. In the beginning of 244, the Persians counter-attacked.  Persian sources claim that a battle was fought (
Battle  of Misiche
) near modern
Fallujah
(
Iraq
)  and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III
[1]
.  Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away,  upstream of the Euphrates. Although ancient sources often described Philip, who  succeeded Gordian as emperor, as having murdered Gordian at Zaitha (Qalat es  Salihiyah), the cause of Gordian's death is unknown.
Gordian's youth and good nature, along with the deaths of his  grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands of another usurper,  granted him the everlasting esteem of the Romans. Despite the opposition of the  new emperor, Gordian was deified by the Senate after his death, in order to  appease the population and avoid riots.
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