Coin Roman Empire Gallienus - Antoninianus, Emperor Sacrificing - 259 Mediolanum

Obverse: IMP GALLIENVS [...] AVG

Reverse: P M TR P VII COS

On the reverse, Gallienus is depicted veiled and wearing the toga, standing, turned to the left. In his left hand, he holds a short sceptre placed transversally, while with his right hand he presents a patera over a lit and decorated altar, performing the ritual gesture of libation.

This issue belongs to a particularly tense context for the Roman Empire. The reign of Gallienus (253?268) corresponds to the period known as the Crisis of the Third Century, marked by repeated invasions on the Rhine and Danube frontiers, the secession of the Gallic Empire in the west under Postumus from 260 onwards, and the capture of his father Valerian by the Sassanids in the same year, an unprecedented event in Roman history. Gallienus, now sole master of the central part of the Empire, relied notably on Milan as a strategic base to organise the defence of Italy and the western provinces.

The sacrificial representation on the reverse carries a strong political dimension: by showing himself performing traditional rites, Gallienus asserts his piety towards the gods of Rome and his imperial legitimacy at a time when his authority was strongly contested. The Milan mint, particularly active during his reign, played an essential role in supplying the armies with coinage and in spreading imperial propaganda through the currency.