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Search Advanced Search Search By Coin ID     Home ANCIENT/BYZANTINE Ancient Spain (872) Byzantine (753) MEDIEVAL/EARLY WORLD Germany (30) MODERN WORLD COUNTERFEITS AND IMITATIONS   Submit New Coin(s)   Sponsors page Terms of Service Contact Us About Us FAQ Page Coin Detail Click here to see enlarged image. ID:     62-2062      [UNVERIFIED] Type:     Roman Imperial Issuer:     Jotapian Date Ruled:     AD 248-249 circa Metal:     Silver Denomination:     Antoninianus Struck / Cast:     struck Date Struck:     AD circa 248-249 Weight:     3.49 g Die Axis:     h Obverse Legend:     IM C M F R IOTAPIANVS AVG Obverse Description:     Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust right Reverse Legend:     VICTORIA AVG Reverse Description:     Victory advancing left, holding wreath in right hand, cradling palm frond in left arm Mint:     Nicopolis Seleuciae (?) Primary Reference:     RIC 002C var. (obverse legend IMP C M F RV Reference2:     C 2 var. (obverse legend IM C C F RV IOTAPIANVS) Reference3:     Bland, Essays Carson, 10 Photograph Credit:     Numismatic Ars Classica NAC AG Source:     http://www.arsclassicacoins.com/ Grade:     Good VF Notes:     NAC Auction 62, Lot 2062 Extremely rare and among the finest specimens known. An unusually pleasant portrait well-centred on a full flan, dark tone with some minor porosity, otherwise about extremely fine From the outset of his reign, Philip I displayed a general gift of incompetence. He clearly was skilled enough to climb the ranks and then to treacherously eliminate the prefect Timesitheus and the emperor Gordian III, but once he had no peer to overcome it was clear that he did not have the talent to rule. Philips first mistake was to make peace with the Sasanians on terms which were not only disgraceful to the army, but expensive. Zosimus (I, 20, 2) tells us this was the spark for the revolt of Jotapian among the Syrian legions. Philip had to pay a severe ransom to the Persians in exchange for Roman captives, while also having to absorb the expense of building his home town of Philippopolis in Arabia from the ground-up and staging lavish games for the millenary celebration in Rome. Another mistake was entrusting the administration of the East to his brother Priscus, who ruled harshly and increased taxation beyond what could be sustained. These circumstances brought forth Jotapian, an army commander who Aurelius Victor says was related to Severus Alexander, and who may in fact have been a descendant of the royal house of Commagene. Jotapian was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers and for several months may have controlled a vast area, for Polemius Sylvius places the revolt in Cappadocia and Victor describes it as having started in Syria (which, if true, could only include the northern part, for he did not strike coins at Antioch). Opinions on when the uprising began vary, with the conventional view being the summer of 248. But much light was shed on the subject by Roger Bland in a 1993 study, in which he suggests the revolt did not occur until the fall of 249. More importantly still, Bland produced convincing evidence that Jotapians coins were struck at Nicopolis, a city located about 100 miles north of Antioch, quite near the former kingdom of Commagene. Bland catalogued only double-denarii for Jotapian, but since his study was published a piece of double-denarius weight but with a laureate bust has surfaced (CNG 61, lot 2027), allowing for the possibility, at least, that Jotapian coined aurei or intended to do so.

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