Maximianus, first reign, 286-305. Aureus (Gold, 20 mm, 5.41 g, 12 h), Nicomedia, circa 294. MAXIMIANV-S P F AVG Laureate head of Maximianus to right. Rev. HERCVLI VICTORI / SMN Hercules standing front, head to left, holding Apples of the Hesperides in his right hand and leaning left on club set on ground; lion skin draped over his right arm. Calicó 4669. Cohen -. Depeyrot 2/1 var. (differing spacing of the obverse legend). RIC 2 var. (differing spacing of the obverse legend). Extremely rare. Boldly struck and lustrous, with a wonderful reverse. Minor weakness on the obverse and with faint scratches on the reverse, otherwise, good extremely fine.



Long before the First Tetrarchy, emperors such as Domitian, Commodus, Septimius Severus, and Postumus had cultivated favored divine patrons, but it was Diocletian, together with his co-ruler Maximian, who elevated the concept to an entirely new dimension. As senior Augustus, Diocletian associated himself with Jupiter, while Maximian aligned with Hercules as his divine partner. A comprehensive iconographic program followed, with numerous coin series depicting the two Augusti either alongside, or in the guise of, their divine comites.

The two newly appointed Caesars were likewise integrated into this scheme: Galerius, as Diocletian’s designated successor, took the name Jovius after his patron, while Constantius I, Maximian’s Caesar, assumed the cognomen Herculius. The unity of the four tetrarchs was further underlined by the directive that all imperial mints strike coins in the name of every ruler, regardless of which Augustus or Caesar controlled a particular workshop. Thus our coin, struck at Nicomedia under Diocletian’s authority, nonetheless bears Maximian on the obverse. Its reverse alludes to the second of the Twelve Labors of Hercules, the patron hero of Maximian - namely, the theft of the golden apples of the Hesperides.