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Jovian. AD 363-364. AV Solidus (20.5mm, 4.42 g, 6h). Sirmium mint. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Jovian, diademed and wearing military attire, standing left, holding labarum; to left, bound captive seated left, head right; *SIRM•. RIC VIII 110; Depeyrot 23/1. Toned with some luster. EF.
Flavius Jovianus was born in AD 331 in Singidunum, present-day Belgrade in Serbia. His father, Varronianus, commanded the imperial household guard, the Comes Domesticorum, under Constantius II, and Jovian himself served in the same unit under Julian II “the Apostate.” Strong, handsome, but not terribly bright, Jovian found life in an elite military unit much to his liking. A later story that Julian dismissed him for refusing to abandon Christianity seems to be post-accession propaganda, since by AD 363 he was placed in command of the Guard and accompanied the emperor on his ill-fated invasion of Persia. The Roman force was soon trapped without supplies deep in Persian territory; on June 26 Julian was seriously wounded in battle and died a few hours later. The following day, the leadership of the Roman army met to select a new emperor, but found itself deeply split between eastern and western factions supporting rival candidates. The Household Guard put Jovian forth as a compromise choice, and the general soldiery duly acclaimed him emperor. He attempted to resume Julian’s westward march to the safety of Roman borders, but upon reaching the Tigris river found the crossing blocked by the Persians. His hand forced, Jovian signed a humiliating peace treaty with the Persian King, Shahpur II, which handed over to the Sasanians most of Roman Mesopotamia and several key border cities, including the strongholds of Nisibis and Singara. The historian Ammianus asserts Jovian acted too hastily in caving to Persian demands even though the Romans had won every major engagement in the war. However, the Romans were in dire straits and had few options. Returning to Antioch in October 363, Jovian tried to paint the debacle as a Roman victory, but no one was fooled and he was jeered by a hostile populace. In retaliation, he ordered Antioch’s library burned down. At first he trod carefully in matters of religion and issued a call for universal toleration, but he did little to stop the inevitable Christian backlash against pagans who had prospered under Julian. Jovian set out for Constantinople early in AD 364, stopping at Dadastana in Bithynia for a banquet and overnight stay. The following morning, February 17, he was found dead in his bedroom, ostensibly the victim of poisonous fumes from a smoking brazier or fresh plaster. Ammianus hints at foul play; it may well be the senior military officers were unimpressed with his leadership and, seeing him as a scapegoat for the Persian misadventure, made a clean break.
This attractive gold solidus was struck at the Balkan mint of Sirmium, not far from Jovian’s birthplace. The reverse, stressing the “Security of the Republic,” mendaciously depicts a Persian captive bound at the emperor’s feet. The emperor holds a standard topped by the Christian chi-rho emblem, the labarum of Constantine, a clear indication that Christianity was back in charge after Julian’s brief pagan interlude.
The final winners of all CNG Feature Auction 129 lots will be determined during the live online sale that will be held on 13-14 May 2025. This lot is in Session Two, which will begin 13 May at 2 PM ET.
Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.
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