GORDIAN III 238AD Ancient Roman Coin Hadrianopolis SERAPIS Cult TEMPLE i22245

Description

Item:
i22245
Authentic Ancient Roman Coin of:
Gordian III - Roman Emperor: 238-244 A.D. -
Bronze 26mm (12.00 grams) of Hadrianopolis in Thrace
AVT K M ANT ΓOPΔIANOC AV
Γ
, laureate, draped & cuirassed bust right.
AΔPIANOΠOΛ
E
ITΩN,  Tetrastyle temple with Serapis within.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Serapis
(Latin spelling, or
Sarapis
in Greek) was a
syncretic
Hellenistic
-
Egyptian
god in
Antiquity
. His most renowned temple was the
Serapeum
of Alexandria
. Under
Ptolemy Soter
, efforts were made to integrate Egyptian religion with that of their Hellenic rulers. Ptolemy's policy was to find a deity that should win the reverence alike of both groups, despite the curses of the Egyptian priests against the gods of the previous foreign rulers (i.e
Set
who was lauded by the
Hyksos
).
Alexander the Great
had attempted to use
Amun
for this purpose, but he was more prominent in
Upper Egypt
, and not as popular with those in
Lower Egypt
, where the Greeks had stronger influence. The Greeks had little respect for animal-headed figures, and so a Greek-style
anthromorphic
statue was chosen as the
idol
, and proclaimed as the equivalent of the highly popular
Apis
. It was named
Aser-hapi
(i.e.
Osiris-Apis
), which became
Serapis
, and was said to be
Osiris
in full, rather than just his
Ka
(life force).
Edirne
(ancient
Hadrianopolis
) is a city in
Thrace
, the westernmost part of
Turkey
, close to the borders with
Greece
and
Bulgaria
. Edirne served as the capital city of the
Ottoman Empire
from 1365 to 1457, when
Constantinople
(
Istanbul
) became the empire's new capital. At present, Edirne is the capital of the
Edirne Province
in
Turkish Thrace
. The city's estimated population in 2002 was 128,400, up from 119,298 in 2000. It has
consulates
of Bulgaria,
Germany
(Honorary), Greece,
Romania
(Honorary) and
Slovakia
(Honorary). Its sister cities are
Haskovo
and
Yambol
in
Bulgaria
and
Alexandroupoli
in
Greece
.
The city was founded as
Hadrianopolis
, named for the Roman Emperor
Hadrian
. This name is still used in the
Modern Greek
(Αδριανούπολη). The
English
name
Adrianople
, by which the city was known until the Turkish Postal Service Law of 1930, has fallen into disuse. The
Turkish
Edirne
, the
Bulgarian
Одрин
(Odrin), and the Serbian
Једрене
(Jedrene) are adapted forms of the name
Hadrianopolis
.
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius
(
January 20
,
225
–
February 11
,
244
), known in
English
as
Gordian III
,
was
Roman Emperor
from 238 to 244. Gordian was the son of
Antonia Gordiana
and his father was an unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the daughter of Emperor
Gordian I
and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II
. Very little is known on his early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian had assumed the name of his maternal grandfather in 238.
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander Severus
in Moguntiacum (modern
Mainz
), the capital of the
Roman province
Germania Inferior
,
Maximinus Thrax
was acclaimed emperor, despite strong opposition of the
Roman senate
and the majority of the population. In response to what was considered in Rome as a rebellion, Gordian's grandfather and uncle, Gordian I and II, were proclaimed joint emperors in the
Africa Province
. Their revolt was suppressed within a month by Cappellianus, governor of
Numidia
and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died, but public opinion cherished their memory as peace loving and literate men, victims of Maximinus' oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on Rome and the Senate elected
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
as joint emperors. These senators were not popular men and the population of Rome was still shocked by the elder Gordian's fate, so that the Senate decided to take the teenager Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus as his grandfather, and raise him to the rank of
Caesar
and imperial heir.
Pupienus
and
Balbinus
defeated Maximinus, mainly due to the defection of several
legions
, namely the
Parthica
II
who assassinated Maximinus. But their joint reign was doomed from the start with popular riots, military discontent and even an enormous fire that consumed Rome in June 238. On
July 29
, Pupienus and Balbinus were killed by the
Praetorian guard
and Gordian proclaimed sole emperor.
Rule
Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was surrendered to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of Rome through the senate. In 240,
Sabinianus
revolted in the African province, but the situation was dealt quickly. In 241, Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia
Tranquillina
, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect,
Timesitheus
. As chief of the Praetorian guard and father in law of the emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the
de facto
ruler of the Roman empire.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened against the Germanic tribes across the
Rhine
and
Danube
, and the
Sassanid
kingdom across the
Euphrates
increased its own attacks. When the Persians under
Shapur I
invaded
Mesopotamia
, the young emperor opened the doors of the
Temple of Janus
for the last time in Roman history, and sent a huge army to the East. The Sassanids were driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the
Battle of Resaena
(243). The campaign was a success and Gordian, who had joined the army, was planning an invasion of the enemy's territory, when his father-in-law died in unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign, and the emperor's security, were at risk.
Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as
Philip the Arab
, stepped in at this moment as the new Praetorian Prefect and the campaign proceeded. In the beginning of 244, the Persians counter-attacked. Persian sources claim that a battle was fought (
Battle of Misiche
) near modern
Fallujah
(
Iraq
) and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III
[1]
. Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died far away, upstream of the Euphrates. Although ancient sources often described Philip, who succeeded Gordian as emperor, as having murdered Gordian at Zaitha (Qalat es Salihiyah), the cause of Gordian's death is unknown.
Gordian's youth and good nature, along with the deaths of his grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands of another usurper, granted him the everlasting esteem of the Romans. Despite the opposition of the new emperor, Gordian was deified by the Senate after his death, in order to appease the population and avoid riots.
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