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Aureus - Carausius OPES IVI AVG, Rotomagus
| Issuer | Britannic Empire (Roman splinter states) |
|---|---|
| Year | 289-293 |
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| Value | Aureus (25⁄2) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and cuirassed bust of Carausius facing right, with short beard rendered in fine detail. The emperor wears a radiate-style laurel wreath and paludamentum fastened at the right shoulder, visible over the cuirass. The portrait exhibits the bold, somewhat provincial engraving style characteristic of the Rotomagus (Rouen) mint. The encircling Latin legend reads IMP C CARAVSIVS AVG, set within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (289-293) |
| Additional information |
Carausius seized control of Britain and northwestern Gaul in 286 after being ordered executed by Maximian — ostensibly for embezzling recovered pirate loot, more plausibly for becoming too powerful to tolerate. He responded by declaring himself Augustus and running a remarkably coherent breakaway regime for seven years. The Rotomagus mint, modern Rouen, was his continental foothold, operating briefly before Constantius Chlorus retook the Gallic territories around 293.
The RIC V.2 number is unassigned, placing this piece outside the standard catalogued sequence — Shiel's specialized study of Carausian coinage remains the authoritative reference for types like this one.