1 Step Back

Trebonianus Gallus
Caius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus
(AD 206 - 251 - 253)

'Viminacium' Coin 2.a
Trebonianus Gallus Moesia
1. Front 2. Back
Bronze Sestertius - Æ 24-26 mm - 10,5 grams - Die Axis 12:00 – Struck AD 251-252.
1. [IMP C C VIB TRE]B GALLVS AVG (Imperator Caesar Caius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus Augustus).
Bust of laureate, draped emperor facing right. The ‘V’ of Gallus looks like an ‘O’. Deep eye and extreme pronounced eyebrow (mistake in mould).
2. PMS C-OL [VIM] (Provincia Moesia Superior, Colonia Viminacium - Province of Upper Moesia, City of Viminacium). Moesia, in Chiton, wearing headdress with drapery attached, body slightly nicked, standing full front, facing left. Her arms outstretched and her hands protectively over (at her right) a bull (symbol of Legio VII) and (at her left) a lion (symbol for Legio III).
2.b AN XIII (Anno XIII - Year 13 of obtaining colonial status).
From Rudnik.com : "A rare and puzzling, possibly unpublished obverse legend, the formulation of which ("Pius Felix") was more characteristic of the early emperors (Gordian, Philip) that struck coinage during the brief 16-year activity of the Viminacium mint (239-255 AD). The type and dating - Colonia Viminacium, yr. 12 of its era = 250/1 AD) are beyond doubt, and that year could correspond to the very beginning of Gallus' reign (late summer 251 AD), in the process supporting the thesis of some Yugoslav scholars that the start of the Viminacium era should be placed later in the calendar year, as compared to the usually accepted July 1 dating."
Provincially minted in Viminacium, Moesia Superior.

Obv. : Worn - Rev. : Worn.



'Viminacium' Coin 2.b
Trebonianus Gallus
1. Front 2. Back
Bronze Sestertius - Æ 24-25 mm - 11,0 grams - Die axis 12:00 - Struck AD 250-252.
1. IMP C C VI[B TREB] GALLVS AVG (Imperator Caesar Caius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus Augustus).
Laureate bust of emperor facing right.
2. PMS COL VIM (Provincia Moesia Superior, Colonia Viminacium - Province of Upper Moesia, City of Viminacium). Moesia, in Chiton, wearing veil or diadem, full front. Her arms outstretched and her hands protective over (at her right) a bull (symbol of Legio VII) and (at her left) a lion (symbol for Legio III).
2.b AN XII or XIII (Anno XII(I) -Year 12 or 13 of obtaining colonial status).
I got this coin cheap at a general collector fair. It was straight from the ground and very caked. Had to be tough … Only to be helped later on by Anthony Holmess who got it back in shape for me. Thanks Anthony !
Provincially minted in Viminacium.

Gaius Vibius Afininus Trebonianus Gallus was born around AD 206 into an old Etruscan family from Perusia. Consul in AD 245 and later governor of Upper and Lower Moesia. An excellent position to get noted with the Gothic invasions of AD 250. Then after the disastrous battle of Abrittus (killing Decius), Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers (AD 251).
His first act as emperor cost him a lot of popularity. Knowing that getting too late in Rome could cost him his head Gallus made a very costly peace with the Goths. Popularity was wooed, however, by the adoption of Decius' younger son Hostilianus and Gallus' not elevating his own wife, Baebiana, to the rank of Augusta. Gallus' son Gaius Vibius Volusianus was given the title of Caesar.
Gallus' reign suffered from a series of disasters, worst of which was a terrible plague. One of the first victims was the young emperor Hostilianus. After Hostilianus died Volusianus was elevated to co-augustus in his place. The pestilence crippled population and army and Gallus was practically powerless to confront the Persians (who overran Armenia, Mesopotamia and Syria (AD 252)) and the Goths from terrifying the Danubian provinces and even raiding and devastating the northern shoreline of Asia Minor (Turkey).
Gallus, to 'keep his head on' revived the persecution of the Christians, created a scheme by which even the very poor were entitled to a decent burial and in thsi way and other won much goodwill from ordinary people.
In AD 253 Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus, governor of Lower Moesia, launched a successful attack on the Goths. His soldiers elected him emperor. Aemilian duly marched south. It appears that Gallus and Volusianus were taken by complete surprise. They gathered what few troops they could, called upon Publius Licinius Valerianus on the Rhine to come to their aid, and moved north toward the approaching Aemilian.
Valerian being too far away too help them and faced with Aemilian's clearly superior Danubian troops, Gallus' soldiers did the only thing they could in order to survive. They turned on their two emperors near Interamna and killed them both (August AD 253).
Provincially minted in Viminacium, Moesia Superior.

Obv. : Good - Rev. : Good but worn - Thick.