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Aureus - Diocletianus MARS VICTOR, Mars
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 284-294 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP C C VAL DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG (Translation: Imperator, Caesar, Caius Valerius Diocletianus Pius Felix Augustus. Supreme commander (Imperator), Caesar, Gaius Valerius Diocletian, the pious, the fortunate, emperor (Augustus).) |
| Reverse description | Mars Victor depicted as a nude, helmeted warrior striding vigorously to the right, his muscular figure rendered in the classical tradition. In his right hand he carries a long spear sloped diagonally across the field, while his left hand bears a trophy representing captured enemy arms and armour. The god's martial posture and victorious attributes emphasize the ideological connection between Diocletian's military authority and divine protection. The reverse legend MARS VICTOR is distributed around the figure within a beaded border, and a small control mark appears in the lower exergual area. |
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| Additional information |
Diocletian's early aurei predate the monetary reforms he would later impose through the Edict on Maximum Prices in 301 AD and the broader currency overhaul that introduced the follis. These coins belong to a transitional moment — the old weight standard already eroding, the new administrative machinery of the Tetrarchy not yet fully assembled. The Mars Victor reverse type was a deliberate ideological choice for a soldier-emperor who rose from the Danubian frontier ranks to seize power following the murder of Numerian in 284.
RIC V.2 no. 2D is among the scarcer of Diocletian's pre-reform gold issues, attributed to an eastern mint.