Coin Roman Empire Gallienus - Antoninianus, Pax - 265 Mediolanum

Obverse: GALLIENVS AVG

Reverse: PA-X AVG / S

Struck in the 2nd Officina of Milan.

The reverse features the personification of Pax, Peace, depicted in motion, running to the left. She raises an olive branch in her right hand, the traditional symbol of peace and concord, while her left hand holds a transverse sceptre. The dynamic quality of the depiction, unusual for this allegorical deity who is generally shown static, gives this issue a particularly expressive character.

The reign of Gallienus (253?268) falls within the period known as the Crisis of the Third Century, marked by intense military pressure on all the Empire's frontiers. In 260, the capture of his father Valerian by the Sasanians left Gallienus as the sole ruler of a fragmented Empire: in the west, the Gallic Empire had formed under Postumus, while in the east, Palmyra was extending its influence. Internally, usurpations multiplied. The Milan mint, which had become a strategic monetary centre under Gallienus due to its proximity to the Rhine and Danube frontiers, produced numerous series with strong ideological connotations during this period. The issuance of Pax-type coins in this troubled context represents a deliberate propagandist assertion: proclaiming restored peace even as the Empire was passing through one of the most unstable phases in its history.