Harvard Art Museums > 2005.115.294: Follis of Galerius, Aquileia Coins Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Follis of Galerius, Aquileia (Galerius)(Constantius I Chlorus) , 2005.115.294,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 05, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/21031. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2005.115.294 People Galerius, Roman (r. 305 - 311 CE) Constantius I Chlorus, Roman (r. 293-306) Title Follis of Galerius, Aquileia Classification Coins Work Type coin Date 305-306 Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Aquileia (North Italy) Period Roman Imperial period, Late Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/21031 Physical Descriptions Medium Bronze Metal AE Technique Struck Dimensions 9.24 g Die Axis 12 Denomination follis Inscriptions and Marks Obverse Inscription: IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG Reverse Inscription: FIDES MILITVM AVGG ET CAESS NN Provenance Recorded Ownership History Collection of Margarete Bieber State, Edition, Standard Reference Number Standard Reference Number RIC VI, 60b, p. 319 Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Purchase through the generosity of Celia and Walter Gilbert, Claude-Claire Grenier, and the Marian H. Phinney Fund Accession Year 2005 Object Number 2005.115.294 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Obverse: Head of Galerius, laureate, right Reverse: Fides, draped, standing front, head left, holding standard in each hand Commentary By the end of the 3rd century CE, the Roman Empire had expanded to the point of being ungovernable and was in crisis. The emperor Diocletian (284 - 305 CE) in 293 CE established the Tetrarchy: a new system dividing the administration of East and West, with two senior emperors, the Augusti, and two junior emperors, the Caesares. When this coin was minted, Constantius Chlorus was the Augustus in the western empire and Galerius (Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus) was Augustus in the eastern empire. Much official imperial iconography during the Tetrarchy sought to present the emperors as united, after a century of civil war. Coins issued by one co-emperor depicting his colleague helped project an image of unity and stability. The similarity of their portraits also contributed to this message: the emperors’ images are difficult to distinguish from each other, presenting a unified image of imperial rule. This is one such coin. It depicts a portrait of Galerius, identifiable from his titles listed in the inscription. It, however, was minted in Italy, in the western part of the empire, and thus was issued under the authority of his co-Augustus, Constantius Chlorus. Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
