ROMAN. Domitius Domitianus. Usurper, A.D. 297-298. Bronze Follis (9.37g). Alexandria mint, 2nd officina. IMP C L DOMITIVS DOMITIANVS AVG, laureate head right / GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder, holding patera in right hand and cornucopia in left; to left, eagle standing left, head right; -B ALE. RIC VI 20. Very attractive light brown patina. Truly exceptional in quality for this very rare issue, an incredible coin in hand. EF. For comparable examples see; Classical Numismatic Group Auction 118 (13 September 2021), lot 1159, hammered USD 7,500, and Leu Numismatik Auction 19 (18 October 2025), lot 266, likewise hammered USD 7,500. Historical evidence for the Egyptian revolt of the mid 290s is scarce and often contradictory. Most literary sources name Aurelius Achilleus as the leader of the uprising, yet the surviving papyri and, above all, the coinage point instead to an otherwise obscure L. Domitius Domitianus as the principal usurper. The revolt appears to have begun in Thebes, then spread rapidly through Egypt, with the rebels seizing control of Lower Egypt and Alexandria. From Alexandria, Domitius Domitianus issued a rare series of imperial aurei, folles and a small number of provincial issues in his own name, asserting full imperial authority in open defiance of the Tetrarchy. The precise chronology remains debated. Many scholars place the rising around A.D. 297, with Diocletian personally leading the campaign to recover Egypt and finally suppressing the revolt in early 298, although some prefer a slightly earlier start around 295. It is possible that Domitius Domitianus died late in 297 and was briefly succeeded by Aurelius Achilleus, whose name is preserved in the literary tradition as the usurper slain by Diocletian after the fall of Alexandria. Whatever the exact sequence, the episode was short but serious, and the coinage of Domitius Domitianus stands as a rare and tangible record of this dramatic challenge to imperial authority in Egypt. From the Titan Collection; previously from the David Allan Collection, acquired from CNG Auction 40 (4 December 1996), lot 1738; ex James Fox Collection.

Estimate: AUD 7500