238 CE is known in Roman history as the Year of the Six Emperors. In that chaotic 12-month span, the
popular father-and-son co-emperors Gordian I and Gordian II were assassinated by a usurper,
Maximinus Thrax, who was every bit the villain his name suggests. The Roman Senate, in an attempt to
thwart Thrax, installed two of its own members, Balbinus and Pupienus, as co-emperors. This move did
not sit well with the Roman public, which erupted into rioting.
To quell the unrest, the Senate named Gordian III, the 13-year-old grandson and nephew of his two
respective namesakes, as Caesar and imperial heir. Balbinus and Pupienus did indeed defeat Thrax, but
their shaky reign collapsed when a fire consumed much of Rome in June 238. When Balbinus and
Pupienus were killed
by the Praetorian Guard at the end of that fateful summer, teenaged Gordian III became emperor—the
youngest man to solely occupy the throne in the long annals of Rome.
The boy Emperor proved up to the task, ruling for five-and-a-half generally stable years, mostly due to
the protection of his father-in-law, Timesitheus, the Praetorian prefect. Gordian III’s shining moment
came in 243, when he led his troops to victory in the Battle of Resaena, driving the hated Persians back
across the Euphrates River. But the success would prove short-lived. Timesitheus suddenly fell ill and
died, and the new prefect, Philip I (“the Arab”), was not about to be commanded by a youth. The young
Gordian III was dispatched by his troops far from home, near modern-day Fallujah, in February 244—a
few weeks after his 19th birthday.
Specifications:
This is a silver antoninianus struck during the reign of Gordian III. On the obverse is a bust of the boy
Emperor with his Latinized name and abbreviated titles. The reverse varies, reflecting contemporary
political, military, and religious themes.
Size range: 21-23mm
Weight range: 4-5.6g
Box measures: 3.87” x 3.87” x 1.25”
All coins in each set are protected in an archival capsule and beautifully displayed in a mahogany-like box.
The box set is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box.