The Usurper Domitius Domitianus
317, Lot: 386. Estimate $750. Sold for $1000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee. |
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Domitius Domitianus. Usurper, AD 297-298. Æ Follis (26mm, 10.84 g, 12h). Alexandria mint, 3rd officina. 2nd emission, AD 298. Laureate head right / Genius standing left, holding patera and cornucopia; eagle at feet to left; Γ//ALE. RIC VI 20. VF, brown patina with red deposits, obverse slightly off center. Rare.
The revolt of Domitius Domitianus in Egypt destabilized a vitally strategic region by interrupting the grain supply to Rome and opening the possibility of Persian (Sasanian) invasion. For almost a year, Domitianus controlled Alexandria and its mint, striking aurei and folles, as well as a series of pre-reform imperial Greek denominations.