A rare antoninianus of the usurper Macrianus, whose brief reign was one of the episodes of political chaos that followed the defeat and capture of Emperor Valerian I by the Persians in AD 260. Macrianus and his brother Quietus were proclaimed emperors in the East, with the decisive support of their father, Macrianus the Elder, and the praetorian prefect Ballista. The brothers gained recognition across much of the eastern part of the Empire, openly challenging the authority of the legitimate emperor Gallienus.
The reverse legend ROMAE AETERNAE, “To Eternal Rome”, carried particular significance for a ruler whose claim to power originated in usurpation. Roma, holding Victory and a spear, combines the concepts of the eternal Roman state, military success and its defence. The type thus presented Macrianus not as a rebel, but as a legitimate defender of the Roman order and continuator of imperial authority.
In AD 261, Macrianus and his father marched westward in an attempt to challenge Gallienus directly. Their forces were defeated in the Balkans by troops loyal to Gallienus, and both Macriani were killed. The exceptional brevity of his reign makes the coinage of Macrianus a sought-after issue among the usurpers of the Crisis of the Third Century.
Roman Imperial
Macrianus (260-261), Antoninianus, Antioch mint
Obverse: radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IMP C FVL MACRIANVS P F AVG
Reverse: Roma seated left, holding Victory and spear, star in left field
ROMAE AETERNAE
Diameter 22 mm, weight 3.75 g
