EGYPT. Alexandria. Maximianus, first reign, 286-305. Tetradrachm (Potin, 19 mm, 6.96 g, 12 h), RY 10 = 294/5. ΜΑΞΙΜΙΑΝΟC CЄΒ Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Maximianus to right, seen from behind.
Rev. L - I Helmeted and cuirassed bust of Ares to left, seen from behind, holding spear pointing forward in his right hand and shield decorated with Nike flying left with his left. Dattari (Savio) 10695. Emmett 4146.10. K&G 120.105. Köln 3339. RPC X online ID 76750. Very rare and with an unusual and highly attractive reverse type. The obverse struck slightly off center
, otherwise, nearly extremely fine.
From the Dr. Thomas E. Beniak Collection, privately acquired from Barry Murphy on 5 January 2012.
The striking bust on the reverse of this remarkable late tetradrachm from Alexandria has been interpreted in various ways - as Athena, Ares, or even as an imperial portrait. Despite its beardless appearance, the bust is undoubtedly male. However, it is not an imperial portrait, but should rather be interpreted as a Comes type: the emperor on the obverse, accompanied by his divine companion on the reverse. This particular depiction represents the war god Ares, whose features, including the prominent forehead wrinkles, were deliberately aligned with the physiognomy of the tetrarchic emperors.
This coin belongs to a series of Alexandrian issues from 294/5, featuring busts of Ares (RPC online ID 76126 and 76750) and depictions of military victories. These include emperors trampling their enemies (RPC X online ID 76110-76111) or standing between two captives (RPC X online ID 76114). Interestingly, these types were minted only for Maximianus and Constantius I, and not for Diocletian or Galerius. This suggests they were not generic designs but specific references to Maximianus's campaigns along the Rhine frontier and Constantius' campaigns against Carausius in 293-294. In 293, Constantius recaptured Gesoriacum, the most important Roman port on the Channel coast, driving Carausius off the mainland shortly before the usurper was murdered by Allectus.
These Alexandrian coins reveal that even authorities in Egypt followed the military triumphs of the emperors along the Rhine and the Channel with keen interest. Historical references of this specificity are rare in Alexandrian coinage, making these issues especially significant. The annual dating of these coins provides a rare and invaluable tool for reconstructing events and their reception - a remarkable boon for both historians and numismatists.
