A Medallion of Two Roman Emperors
Abstract
"A rare bimetallic medallion in the possession of the University of Missouri commemorates the advmtus, or arrival, presumably in Rome, of the emperors C. Vibius Annius Trebonianus Gallus and Volusian, Gallus' son. ThIs medallion has a dark bronze center handsomely offset by a rim of much lighter colored metal. The materials in the rim and the center have not been analyzed, but two qualities of bronze appear to have been used. Striking a medallion on a disk made of two types of bronze (or sometimes of copper and bronze) was a device intended, perhaps, to enhance the beauty of the medallion. Such a large piece is clearIy differentiated from regular currency by its size larger and thicker than even the sestertius, the largest of the ordinary bronze coins -- and by its structure, which adds the rim to frame the central design struck in very high relief. To judge from the rarity of medallions and from their unsuitability for use as currency, it appears that medallions were struck to serve as gifts to special individuals, but we have few specific details to shed light on their use. In the case of the Missouri medallion, we can associate it with an adventus of Gallus and Volusian, but we do not know to whom the medallion was presented or why."--First paragraph.
Citation
Originally published in: Muse, 1968, volume 2, pages 21-24
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