RIC Volume V, Part I - Gallienus

With the new policies in place, Gallienus and Aureolus headed off to battle Postumus.   After some time, Postumus was trapped in a city, but Gallienus was injured by an arrow.  Progress stopped and command was turned over to Aureolus.  It is suspected Aureolus allowed Postumus to escape what should have been certain capture and execution.  Gallienus was forced to give up the offensive and sent Aureolus to gather more troops and set up a defense in Milan.

In 267, a massive invasion of Asia Minor was staged by the Goths and Heruli.  This invasion was so effective, the armies were within sight of Italy before being turned back.   Rhodes, Crete, Thrace, Macedon, Thessaly and Central Greece were all pillaged in the process.  Gallienus and Claudius II defeated the invaders at Naissus.

While Gallienus was off in the Balkans working on the Goth and Heruli invasion, Aureolus seizes the opportunity for yet another revolt.  He defected to the side of Postumus, forcing Gallienus to give up the Gothic campaign and turn his attention again to the West.  He arrived in Milan in September of 268, finding Aureolus had already been besieged by Claudius II.  Gallienus assumed command of the siege to dispose of Aureolus himself.  Within a couple of weeks of his arrival at Milan, Gallienus left his tent, unprotected, as there was news of a counter-attack by Aureolus, and was assassinated.  Historians record that at the very least Claudius II was part of the conspiracy and may very well have murdered Gallienus himself.  Co-conspirators were Heraclianus (who was sent to dispose of Vabalathus and Zenobia, but failed), Marcianus (who had helped in the Gothic campaign at Naissus) and Aurelianus, who became emperor himself two years later.

With Gallienus dead, Claudius II paid off the soldiers, was proclaimed emperor, finished the siege of Milan, executed Aureolus, joined the senate and proceeded to massacre Gallienus' family and associates in Rome in spite for Gallienus' policy of disallowing senatorial command posts in the army.

Luckily for numismatists, all of this struggling over 15 years produced some wonderful and historically significant coinage.  In 260, following the defeats of the revolts, Gallienus produced Antoniniani at Milan, honoring his different legions.  Each legion or cohort is featured through the legionary badge on the reverse, along with the victory number and P F for Pia Fidelis.  One coin type was issued for each of the three battles in which the unit participated.  Victory V was against the Alemanni, VI was against Ingenuus and VII was against Regalianus.

Legion or Cohort Number and Name
Reverse Legend, Legionary Badge

Praetorian Cohort
COHH PRAET VI P VI F, radiate lion walking
COHH PRAET VII P VII F, radiate lion walking

Legion I - Adiutrix
LEG I ADI V P V F, capricorn
LEG I ADI VI P VI F, capricorn
LEG I ADI VII P VII F, capricorn

Legion I - Italica
LEG I ITAL VI P VI F, boar running
LEG I ITAL VII P VII F, hippocampus

Legion I - Minervia
LEG I MIN VI P VI F, Minerva standing
LEG I MIN VII P VII F, Minerva standing

Legion II - Adiutrix
LEG II ADI VI P VI F, Pegasus
LEG II ADI VI P VI F, wild boar
LEG II ADI VII P VII F, Pegasus

Legion II - Claudia Adiutrix
LEG II CL ADI VI P VI F, capricorn

Legion II - Italica
LEG II ITAL VI P VI F, capricorn
LEG II ITAL VI P VI F, she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus
LEG II ITAL VII P VII F, she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus

Legion II - Parthicus
LEG II PART V P V F, centaur walking and holding globe and club
LEG II PART VI P VI F, centaur walking and holding globe and club

Legion III - Italica
LEG III ITAL VI P VI F, stork walking
LEG III ITAL VII P VII F, stork walking

Legion IV - Flavia
LEG IIII FL VI P VI F, lion running
LEG IIII FL VII P VII F, lion running

Legion V - Macedonica
LEG V MAC VI P VI F, Victoria standing with eagle at feet
LEG V MAC VII P VII F, Victoria standing with eagle at feet

Legion VII - Claudia Pia Fidelis
LEG VII CL VI P VI F, bull walking
LEG VII CL VII P VII F, bull walking
LEG VII CL VII P VII F, lion running

Legion VIII - Augusta
LEG VIII AVG V P V F, bull walking
LEG VIII AVG VI P VI F, bull walking
LEG VIII AVG VII P VII F, bull walking

Legion X - Gemina
LEG X GEM VI P VI F, bull walking
LEG X GEM VII P VII F, bull walking

Legion XI - Claudia Pia Fidelis
LEG XI CL VI P VI F, Neptune standing

Legion XIII - Gemina
LEG XIII GEM VI P VI F, Victory walking with a lion walking toward her

Legion XIV - Gemina Marti Victrix
LEG XIIII GEM VI P VI F, capricorn

Legion XXII - Primigenia
LEG XXII VI P VI F, capricorn
LEG XXII VII P VII F, capricorn

Legion XXX - Ulpia Victrix
LEG XXX VLP VI P VI F, Neptune standing
LEG XXX VLP VII P VII F, Neptune standing

Gallienus also produced an entire series of Antoniniani invoking the protection of various gods and goddesses against the revolt of Aureolus in 268:

Apollo:  APOLLINI CONS AVG

Centaur walking right
Centaur walking left, holding globe and trophy
Centaur galloping left, firing arrow right
Griffin walking right or left
Griffin seated right or left
Pegasus standing right

Diana:  DIANAE CONS AVG

Doe walking right or left
Stag walking right or left
Goat standing right
Antelope walking right or left
Boar walking right

Hercules:  HERCVLI CONS AVG

Lion walking left
Boar walking right

Jupiter:  IOVI CONS AVG

Goat walking right or left

Juno:  IVNONI CONS AVG

Goat walking left

Liber:  LIBERO CONS AVG

Panther walking right or left

Mercury:  MERCVRIO CONS AVG

Hippocampus

Neptune:  NEPTVNO CONS AVG

Hippocampus right or left
Capricorn right

Sol:  SOLI CONS AVG

Pegasus prancing right or left
Bull standing right

For more information on the subject and study of Gallienus zoo coins, please visit Jim Phelps' great site.

Information for this study was derived from:

Vagi, David, "Coinage and History of the Roman Empire", Amos Press, Inc., 1999

Van Meter, David, "The Handbook of Roman Imperial Coins", Laurion Press, 2000