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Follis - Maximianus GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Alexandria
| Issuer | Alexandria Mint (Roman Imperial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 303-304 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | RIC VI#36b, RCV I#13283, OCRE#ric.6.alex.36b |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | IMP C M A MAXIMIANVS PF AVG (Translation: Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Maximian Pious Fortunate August.) |
| Reverse description | The Genius of the Roman People (Genius Populi Romani) stands facing left, depicted as a nude or semi-draped male figure of heroic proportions, wearing a modius (grain measure) atop his head. He holds a patera in his right hand, from which he pours a libation, and a cornucopia in his left hand, symbolizing abundance and divine favour. The mintmark ALE appears in the exergue, identifying the Alexandria mint, with the officina mark Delta (∆) indicating the fourth workshop. The legend GENIO POPVLI ROMANI encircles the figure, and the letters S-F flank the figure in the field, denoting sacra frugibus (sacred grain offerings). |
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| Additional information |
By 303–304, the Diocletianic reform coinage was already struggling to hold its intended weight standard, and Alexandria's output from this period reflects that pressure — the mint was producing folles at the heavier end of the post-reform range, but not for long. The GENIO POPVLI ROMANI reverse type was a deliberate ideological choice by Diocletian, framing the genius of the Roman people as a unifying force across a tetrarchic empire increasingly administered in separate quarters.
RIC VI 36b specifically assigns this issue to Maximianus rather than Diocletian on the basis of die control marks and mintmark positioning within the Alexandrian sequence — a distinction that matters considerably for attribution.