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Antoninianus - Maximianus VIRTVTI AVGG, Hercules
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 289-293 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Emperor Maximianus facing right, rendered in the vigorous late third-century military style. The radiate crown, a defining attribute of the antoninianus denomination, is clearly articulated above the imperial portrait. Paludamentum is visible at the shoulder, conveying the emperor's role as supreme military commander. The encircling Latin legend reads IMP MAXIMIANVS AVG, identifying the emperor as Imperator and Augustus. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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Maximianus took Hercules as his divine patron — Diocletian claiming Jupiter — in a deliberate theological framework that cast the two emperors as earthly agents of the gods rather than gods themselves. This was a meaningful theological retreat from the deified emperors of earlier centuries, recasting imperial authority as delegated rather than intrinsic. The VIRTVTI AVGG reverse belongs to a joint propaganda program emphasizing the martial virtues of both Augusti during the stabilization campaigns of the early Tetrarchic period, before the formal addition of the two Caesars in 293.