★ Claudius Aelius Pollio, the former centurio who captured Diadumenian on his flight to the Parthians ★

BITHYNIA. Nicomedia. Elagabalus, 218-222. Weight of 1/2 Libra (Lead, 98x100 mm, 267.91 g, 12 h), Claudius Aelius Pollio, legatus pro praetore of Pontus and Bithynia, and the agoranomos of the city, Pactumeius Volosus. RY 4 and TR POT III COS III of Elagabalus = 23 September-9 December 220. ΕΤΟΥC Δ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑ/TΟΡΟC ΚΑΙCΑΡΟC Μ / AYΡ Α ΝΤ ⲰΝEΙΝ૪ ΕΥC/ΕΒ૪ ΕΥΤΥΧ૪C CΕΒΑC/Τ૪ APXIEPEⲰC MEΓIC/T૪ Δ[HMAPXI]KHC EZ૪CI/AC TO Γ YΠAT૪ TO Γ A/ΓOPANOM૪ NT OC Π/AKT૪MHI૪ BOΛOC/૪ EIMIΛEITPIN. Rev. ΥΠΑΤΕΥΟ ΝΤ ΟC / Τ ΗC ΕΠΑΡΧΕΙΑC / T૪ ΛAMΠPOTΑΤ૪ Y/ΠATIKOY KΛAYΔI/OY AIΛIOY ΠΟΛΛI ⲰN /OC ΠPECB[EYT]OY KA[I] / ANTICTP[AT]HΓ[૪] Γ / T૪ CEBACTO૪ / EIMIΛEITPIN / AΓOPAION ... Unpublished and of great historical importance. A carefully produced and unusually complete weight. Large flan crack, otherwise, very fine.

The legate Claudius Aelius Pollio is a very interesting figure: we know from Cassius Dio that he was a simple centurio who rose to fame by arresting Diadumenian in Zeugma in 218, thus preventing the escape of Macrinus' son to the Parthians (Cass. Dio 79.40). This act of loyalty to the Severan dynasty greatly accelerated Pollio's career, as he was, to the great indignation of the senatorial historian Dio, raised to senatorial rank in reward and even appointed governor of Pontus-Bithynia and Germania Superior ('As for Avitus [i.e. Elagabalus], he appointed Pollio to govern . . . Germany . . since Pollio had very . . .ly subdued Bithynia' (Cass. Dio 80.3)). Pollio's stellar ascent was one of many controversial measures used by contemporary historians to discredit the dissolute rule of Elagabalus and his entourage; Herodian, undoubtedly having Pollio in mind, even claims that the emperor appointed slaves and freedman to proconsular provincial governors (Herod. 5.7.8), for which there is no evidence. In any case, it was long believed that the social climber served as governor of Pontus and Bithynia early in Elagabalus' reign, but our weight, which is dated to 23 September-9 December 220 (the Bithynian year starts on 23 September), shows that this was not necessarily the case. The ending of his governorship must thus be moved to late 220/1, while his tenure as legate of Germania Superior, which is confirmed by the finding of an honorary inscription in Mogontiacum (CIL XIII 6807), can now be dated to 221/222.