Reece Period attributed: Period 11
Member of the Third Century Emperors dynasty.
Coins for this issuer were issued from 235 until 238.
Gaius Julius Valerius Maximinus was born in Thrace and began life as a lowly soldier. He rose through the ranks until, by the military campaigns of Severus Alexander, he had control of a legion and governorship of Mesopotamia. He was involved in Alexander’s German campaign and acclaimed emperor by his troops near Mainz.
The Senate did not like Maximinus because he spent no time in Rome and extorted huge sums of money to finance his very successful military campaigns. They also viewed him with prejudice because of his very humble origins. Gordian I and II tried to take over the government from Africa, but that rebellion was put down; in Rome, Balbienus and Pupienus were elected joint emperors by the Senate and Maximinus marched towards Rome. He was stopped in Aquileia when the town refused to offer him shelter. He started a siege but was killed by assassins who took his head to Rome.
Maximinus, also called Maximinus Thrax in refernce to his Thracian origins, was a huge man with a prominent chin. Reports characterize him as abnormally tall and very muscular.
We have recorded 95 examples.
Record: BM-219093
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: A copper-alloy Roman sestertius of Maximin…
Workflow: Published
Record: WAW-8553E6
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: An incomplete copper alloy sestertius of M…
Workflow: Published
Record: HESH-0834DD
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: An incomplete base silver Roman denarius o…
Workflow: Published
Record: IOW-6BCF3E
Object type: COIN
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Description: A fragment of a Roman silver denarius of M…
Workflow: Published
View all coins recorded by the scheme attributed to Maximinus Thrax.
This video has been embedded from Adrian Murdoch's series of podcasts on the Emperors of Rome. Many thanks to him for allowing us to use these podcasts.