Art Institute of Chicago

Denarius (Coin) Portraying Galerius Maximianus

Roman

Date

307-310

Medium

Silver

Culture

Rome

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the Emperor Galerius Maximianus facing right and wearing a crown of laurels. On the back (reverse) is a gate comprised of three towers. The fourth century was a time of tremendous political, social, and religious strife within the Roman Empire, but the imagery on these coins tells a story of an unbroken chain of powerful rulers. Diocletian (reigned 284–305) enacted a series of administrative, military, and monetary reforms that brought an end to the chaos of the third century. He divided the vast empire into western and eastern halves and assigned their administration to four men, the Tetrarchy. Galerius was one of these four men (called tetrarchs) who together ruled the Roman Empire at this time. Each half was governed by two tetrarchs, one senior and one junior in status. Portraits of these rulers are generic-looking, without individualized features, to reinforce the unity of their joint rule.

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