Lucius Domitius Aurelianus was born near Sirmium in Pannonia on 9 September 214. Though of humble birth, his ability allowed him to quickly rise through the ranks in the military. by 268 he was serving as a commander in Gallienus' strategic cavalry corps, and was part of the Illyrian cabal (along with Claudius II) that murdered Gallienus. After Claudius' brief reign Aurelian rose in revolt against Quintillus, who was promptly deserted by his armies. Aurelian was now master of the fragmented Roman world.
His reign is marked by successes against every rebellion. First he fought against Germanic tribes in the area of Mediolanum, followed by battling several usurpers in Thrace. He defeated a Gothic tribe, killing their king Cannabas. In the east, he fought against the powerful Palmyrene Secessionist Empire under Zenobia, retaking Antioch by August of 271 and soon afterwards taking Palmyra itself, capturing Zenobia and Vabalathus. Tetricus surrendered the Gallic Empire to Aurelian in 274, for which he was rewarded with a high government post in Italy.
Like many other Roman rulers, Aurelian met his end when his ambitions turned towards the Persians. Near Byzantium the emperor's secretary Eros executed a plan to remove Aurelian. He created a list of officers who he claimed Aurelian was going to "purge". These officers quickly murdered Aurelian in 275, only afterwards discovering their mistake. They executed Eros, and appealed to the Roman senate to appoint a new emperor.
Among Aurelian's many other accomplishments was the reformation of the currency. The so-called "antoninianus" coin had become extremely debased and almost crude. The new coinage began in 274, were larger and had a higher silver content, returning to a white metal rather than the bronze. These coins are marked with "XXI", or the Greek equivalent "KA". The meaning of this isn't certain, though it's possible this refers to the new composition on 20 parts copper to 1 part silver. Another theory is that the numerals give the value of the new coins: 20 radiates to one gold aureus. These new coins are sometimes called "Aureliani." Aurelian also established Sol Invictus as the ruling deity for the Roman Empire. Sol is portrayed very frequently on Aurelian's coins, and is said to have been very popular in the army.
AE Antoninianus minted in Cyzicus
AE Antoninianus minted in Siscia
Silvered Aurelianus minted in SerdicaVery little is known about Ulpia Severina, except that she was made Augusta in 274. Some historians feel that in the Interregnum after the death of Aurelian, Severina ruled for a time (probably only a few weeks, if at all) before the senate chose a new emperor. This is supported to some extent by the coins, as the final coins of Severina were issues from all of the workshops of some mints.
Silvered Aurelianus minted in RomeIf you have an comments, questions, or corrections, please email me.
All coins from the author's collection. Not a commercial site, these coins are not for sale.