Claudius II Gothicus, 268 – 270
Aureus 268-270, AV 18 mm, 4.91 g. IMP CLAV – DIVS AVG Laureate head l. Rev. VICTO – RIA AVG Victory standing facing, head l., holding wreath and palm; at her feet, two captives. C 296. RIC 9 (described as 8). RIC Online temp. 63. Calicó 3955 (these dies). Extremely rare and in exceptional condition, undoubtedly among the finest aurei of Claudius Gothicus in existence. A portrait of masterly style struck in high relief. Good extremely fine

In September AD 268, Gallienus was murdered at the siege of Mediolanum (Milan) and the army chose the commander M. Aurelius Claudius (II) to replace him. It is disputed as to how much direct involvement Claudius II may have had in the plot against Gallienus, but it is somewhat difficult to imagine desiring the job of Emperor in this period. Almost as soon as he assumed the imperial purple, Claudius faced dire threats from the Germanic peoples crossing the Rhine and Danube frontiers. The Alemanni invaded northern Italy, but thanks to his leadership and quick action, they were defeated and routed at Lake Benacus. For this victory, Claudius II assumed the honorific title of Germanicus Maximus. However, his work was far from done. In late AD 268 or early AD 269, a great Gothic coalition, possibly involving as many as 2,000 ships and 325,000 men, began plundering its way along the western coast of the Black Sea and into the Aegean. Claudius II responded by inflicting such a severe defeat on the Goths at the Battle of Naissus that they fled back north across the Danube to their Germanic homelands. For this great achievement, Claudius II was awarded the title of Gothicus Maximus. For this reason, Gothicus continues to be used as the preferred title to distinguish Claudius II from his homonymous Julio-Claudian predecessor. Having settled the problems of the empire’s northern borders for the moment, the emperor then immediately pivoted to make inroads against the rebel Gallic Empire, which lacked strong leadership after the death of Postumus. Claudius II began to claw back territory claimed by the Gallic Empire in Spain and in the Rhône Valley, but was forced to abandon the reconquest when the Vandals crossed the Danube and invaded Pannonia. In late AD 269, he quickly marched to Sirmium to organize a campaign against the barbarians for the next year, but in January, before he could make war on the Vandals, he fell ill and died from the Plague of Cyprian (probably smallpox). It was later reported that while on his deathbed he named his cavalry commander Aurelian as his successor. The loss of Claudius II Gothicus was widely mourned and he was immediately deified by Aurelian and the Roman Senate. The fame of his deeds was so great that he was later claimed as a glorious ancestor of Constantine the Great. The two captives depicted at the feet of Victory on this aureus may suggest that it was struck in AD 269, after Claudius II had achieved his victories over both the Alemanni and the Goths. The bearded faces, long-sleeved tunics, and trousers clearly identify the captives as Germanic and the fact that there are two of them might imply that one stands for the victory that earned the him the title Germanicus Maximus and the other for the victory that made him Gothicus Maximus.