Germanicus AD 37-41. Struck under Gaius (Caligula), 37-41 AD. Rome
Dupondius Æ

29 mm, 15,06 g

GERMANICVS CAESAR, Germanicus standing in ornamented slow quadriga right, holding sceptre / SIGNIS RECEPT DEVICTIS GERM in two lines, S-C across fields, Germanicus, bare-headed and cuirassed with tunic, standing left, right arm raised and holding aquila.

Very Fine

BMC 93; Cohen 7; RIC 57.

The inscription "SIGNIS RECEPTIS DEVICTIS GERM" found on Roman coins refers to a significant event in Roman history and serves as a proud declaration of military achievement. The full phrase typically reads: "SIGNIS RECEPTIS DEVICTIS GERMANIS," which translates to "Standards Recovered, Germans Defeated." This inscription is most famously associated with the coins minted under Emperor Augustus, commemorating the recovery of the Roman military standards (signa) that had been lost to Germanic tribes during a disastrous Roman defeat. The event in question is the recovery of the standards taken by the Germanic leader Arminius after his victory over the Roman general Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. This battle was one of the worst defeats in Roman history, where three Roman legions were ambushed and annihilated. Years later, under the leadership of the Roman general and stepson of Augustus, Germanicus, the Romans launched a series of campaigns into Germania between AD 14 and AD 16. These campaigns aimed to avenge the defeat and recover the lost standards, which held great symbolic and military significance for Rome. Although Germanicus achieved some military success and recovered some of the lost standards, the region was ultimately abandoned by the Romans as too difficult to control.