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Billon Antoninianus (20mm 3.31g) Struck 270-271 A.D. Antioch
Obv.VABALATHUS V C R IMP D R Laureate, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
Rev: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust right
RIC-V 381 Aurelian, Sear 11718
ex. Socal Coins Brett Telford
Side 1: The Front (Obverse) — The Rebel Prince
- The Text: VABALATHUS V C R IMP D R
- The Picture: A young man wearing a laurel wreath and royal robes.
- Who is he? This is Vabalathus, the young king of the Palmyrene Empire (based in modern-day Syria). His famous mother, Queen Zenobia, was the real power behind the throne. They had broken away from Rome and taken over a massive chunk of the Roman East, including Egypt!
- The Secret Code: The abbreviations roughly mean "Vir Clarissimus, Rex, Imperator, Dux Romanorum" (Most Illustrious Man, King, Commander, Leader of the Romans). Notice he calls himself a leader of the Romans—Zenobia was trying to play nice and pretend they were just helpful co-rulers of the Roman world, rather than total rebels.
Side 2: The Back (Reverse) — The Real Emperor
- The Text: IMP C AVRELIANVS AVG
- The Picture: A fierce-looking guy wearing a spiky crown (a radiate crown, which represents the sun god).
- Who is he? This is Aurelian, the official, battle-hardened Emperor of Rome.
- The Meaning: By putting Aurelian's face on the back of their coins, Zenobia and Vabalathus were essentially saying, "Look, Emperor Aurelian, we aren't rebels! See? We put your face on our money! We are totally on the same team."
Why this coin is historically amazing
This coin represents a temporary political truce. Aurelian was busy fighting off barbarian invasions in Europe and couldn't deal with Zenobia's rebellion yet. Zenobia knew she wasn't ready to fight Aurelian's elite legions either. So, they struck a temporary deal where Aurelian recognized Vabalathus's local titles, and Zenobia minted coins acknowledging Aurelian as the supreme emperor.
The Spoilers: The truce didn't last long! By 272 A.D., Vabalathus dropped all pretense, stopped putting Aurelian on his coins, and declared himself the sole Emperor. Aurelian marched east, smashed Zenobia's armies, captured the royal family, and earned the title Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World).
This coin is a snapshot of the exact moment right before the storm hit!
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