Art Institute of Chicago

Coin Portraying Emperor Maxentius

Roman

Date

306-312

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Roman Empire

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Maxentius facing right and wearing a crown of laurels. On the back (reverse), the twins Castor and Pollux are shown standing, each holding scepter and with a horse behind them. One of the earliest and most popular themes on Roman coinage was the Dioscuri, or Castor and Pollux, hero twins who are usually shown with two stars placed above their heads to denote their celestial influence. They give form to a dual myth, representing youth and courage. Castor and Pollux were the sons of the god Jupiter and a mortal woman named Leda, and the story of their birth from an egg explains the peculiar cap which they always wear, evidently representin half of an egg shell.

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