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Raised to power by the army, Marcus Aurelius Probus was a product of the Third Century Crisis that saw a marked shift in the paradigm of imperial leadership. No longer did an emperor emerge from a system of succession, either as son or inherited heir of a sitting emperor, instead emperors were chosen by the military based on factors that included popularity, generosity towards the troops and their ability to produce measurable outcomes.
As a youth Probus became so famed for his bodily strength that by approval of Valerian he received a tribuneship almost before his beard was grown [Historia Augusta, 3.1]. From this early recognition Probus went from strength to strength, becoming one of the highest placed lieutenants of the emperor Aurelian and then supreme commander of the East under the emperor Tacitus. Upon the death of Tacitus, Probus was made emperor by the army of Syria in AD 276, having defeated Florianus who too had attempted to ascend the imperial throne. The senate duly acknowledged the exploits of Probus and conferred upon him the names: Caesar, Augustus, pontifex maximus as well as granting him tribunitian power and proconsular command.
However, the apparent stability granted to Probus by the affirmation of his leadership was not enough to quell the economic and social unrest that continuously threatened peace across the empire. Probus' rule was marked by the threat of both usurpation and of advances from invaders along the borders. This instability made it all the more important for Probus to deliver, at all times, a composite vision of the 'emperor victorious' and we can see this reflected in his coinage. This magnificent and very rare specimen encapsulates this idea across both its obverse and reverse.
Probus coinage is noteworthy for presenting the emperor's portrait in excessive military attire on a scale not seen previously. Here, Probus is presented as an emperor poised for battle in full helmet and armour, carrying a spear and shield at the ready, emphasising his military origins and nature of his reign. On the reverse, the legend and type of Victory carrying the trappings of success indicates the likely outcome of any military action. The composition draws direct parallels with triumphal and consular processions and thereby contributes a formal ritualistic facet to the image of the emperor victorious. VICTORIAE AVG - Victoriae Augusti: To the victory of the emperor [Augustus].
As a youth Probus became so famed for his bodily strength that by approval of Valerian he received a tribuneship almost before his beard was grown [Historia Augusta, 3.1]. From this early recognition Probus went from strength to strength, becoming one of the highest placed lieutenants of the emperor Aurelian and then supreme commander of the East under the emperor Tacitus. Upon the death of Tacitus, Probus was made emperor by the army of Syria in AD 276, having defeated Florianus who too had attempted to ascend the imperial throne. The senate duly acknowledged the exploits of Probus and conferred upon him the names: Caesar, Augustus, pontifex maximus as well as granting him tribunitian power and proconsular command.
However, the apparent stability granted to Probus by the affirmation of his leadership was not enough to quell the economic and social unrest that continuously threatened peace across the empire. Probus' rule was marked by the threat of both usurpation and of advances from invaders along the borders. This instability made it all the more important for Probus to deliver, at all times, a composite vision of the 'emperor victorious' and we can see this reflected in his coinage. This magnificent and very rare specimen encapsulates this idea across both its obverse and reverse.
Probus coinage is noteworthy for presenting the emperor's portrait in excessive military attire on a scale not seen previously. Here, Probus is presented as an emperor poised for battle in full helmet and armour, carrying a spear and shield at the ready, emphasising his military origins and nature of his reign. On the reverse, the legend and type of Victory carrying the trappings of success indicates the likely outcome of any military action. The composition draws direct parallels with triumphal and consular processions and thereby contributes a formal ritualistic facet to the image of the emperor victorious. VICTORIAE AVG - Victoriae Augusti: To the victory of the emperor [Augustus].