Catalog
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| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 302 |
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| Currency | Argenteus, Reform of Diocletian (AD 293/301 – 310/324) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Laureate and radiate bust of Jupiter facing right, draped, with curling hair and a full beard rendered in the vigorous style of late Tetrarchic workmanship. Jupiter is depicted as the divine protector of Diocletian, reflecting the emperor's identification with the supreme Jovian deity. The surrounding legend IOVI CONSERVATORI runs around the field within a beaded border, proclaiming Jupiter as the preserver and guardian of the emperor and empire. |
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| Additional information |
This aureus belongs to a type recovered in significant numbers from the Beaurains hoard, discovered in northern France in 1922 — one of the most important late Roman gold finds of the twentieth century, containing over 400 aurei spanning multiple reigns. The Treveri mint (modern Trier) was at this moment functioning as an imperial residence and western administrative hub under the Tetrarchy, giving its gold issues a production priority that Diocletian's monetary reforms, codified in the Edict on Maximum Prices of 301, were simultaneously trying to rationalize across the empire.
The unusually dense reference trail for this type — seven major catalogs — reflects its importance as a well-documented Tetrarchic aureus rather than rarity.