MARCUS AURELIUS (161-180). Sestertius. Rome

MARCUS AURELIUS (161-180). Sestertius. Rome.

Obv: M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXVII.
Laureate head right.
Rev: GERMANICO AVG IMP VI COS III.
Trophy between a German woman seated left on shield and bound German man standing right.

RIC 1058.

The Marcomannic Wars (AD 166-180) were among the most critical moments faced by the Roman Empire: a long and exhausting conflict that severely tested Rome’s political, economic and military stability. Marcus Aurelius confronted a wave of barbarian invasions that swept across the Danube and reached Italy itself, further aggravated by a devastating epidemic arriving from the East. After the dangerous usurpation attempt by Avidius Cassius, Marcus Aurelius decided in AD 177 to associate his young son Commodus with imperial power. This choice broke with the tradition of the Antonine dynasty, which had always adopted the “best man” as successor, and was seen as an act driven by paternal affection and by a quasi‑sacred idea of dynastic continuity. Commodus accompanied his father to the Danubian front during the final years of the conflict. The Roman armies achieved fresh victories, and in AD 179–180 they wintered deep within enemy territory. It was a moment when the war finally seemed to be turning decisively in Rome’s favour. But on 17 March AD 180 Marcus Aurelius died at Vindobona. Only a few weeks later, Commodus brought the war to an end by concluding peace.

Condition: Good fine.

Weight: 22.58 g.
Diameter: 31 mm.

Estimate: € 125