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Sale 46
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Lot 115
Rome. Didius Julianus, March 28 to about mid-June 193 AD. Gold Aureus (6.65 g), Rome mint. Laureate and draped bust of Didius Julianus right. Reverse: Togate Didius Julianus stands left, holding globe and roll; RECTOR ORBIS. Fr-362; RIC 3; C. 14; BMCRE 7; Calicó 2399. An excellent portrait in the best style of the period, struck in high relief. A wonderful example of this historical and very rare gold piece. NGC graded Choice About Uncirculated.
The reign of Didius Julianus ranks among the shortest of all of Rome's ephemeral emperors, but his story is nevertheless the most singular in the annals of the Empire. He remains as the only wearer of the imperial purple to have purchased outright his way to the throne.
His predecessor, Pertinax, had, rather like Galba over a hundred years earlier, tried to reform too quickly the corruption and dissolution that had seriously infected the throne and the highest levels of government and military under the increasingly deranged tyranny of Commodus. After several attempted coups, Pertinax finally fell victim to a revolt by the Praetorian Guards on the 86th day of his reign.
In the chaos following his assassination two persons of stature approached the Praetorians (who envisioned themselves more and more the "king makers" with regard to the throne) to seek the position of the next emperor. Earliest was Flavius Sulpicianus, the father-in-law of Pertinax, who made an immediate appeal for his being chosen, but who found suddenly that he was in competition with one senator, Didius Julianus, one of the wealthiest men in Rome. What initially may have been a plan of flattery and simple bribery on the part of Sulpicianus escalated so that the two, caught up in the moment, began a bidding war against each other with the Praetorians in order to secure their vote. Julianus won, with a final offer of 25,000 sestertii per guard.
Drunk with their power and blinded by their promised windfall, the Guards escorted Julianus to the senate house where the terrified senators had no choice but to ratify his new position. If the senators' fear at the time was great, even greater was the rage of the public at this shameful state of affairs. They promptly sent out deputations to the frontier commanders requesting them to free them from the "tyranny" of Didius Julianus and the Praetorian Guards. Since the leading commanders had all been comrades-in-arms with Pertinax, they were eager to avenge his murder (along with being equally mindful of the opportunity of perhaps seizing the title of Augustus). Thus began the civil war, which would last until 195.
General Septimius Severus had the upper hand, being the closest to Rome, along with having three regiments under his control. He promptly began a forced march to the city. Julianus realized he was doomed. To forestall the inevitable, he sent assassins to hopefully intervene against Severus, while at the same time offering to share power with him.
As Severus and his legions neared Rome, and hoping to avoid serious bloodshed, Severus put forth a generous offer to the Praetorians: immunity would be given to the whole of the Guard if they turned over those few individuals who were actually responsible for the death of Pertinax. Since the Guard had yet to receive their largesse from Julianus, they quickly acquiesced and notified the Senate of their decision. The Senate then promptly deified the late Pertinax, condemned Julianus as a criminal, and declared Septimius Severus the new emperor. Whatever giddy visions Julianus had of himself as ruler were cut short. On the 1st or 2nd of June, he was captured and beheaded like a common criminal.
Estimated Value $35,000 - 40,000.
Ex Gorny & Mosch, Auction 71 (March 1995), lot 698. Illustrated in Money of the World, coin 47.
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