The Saint Mary's Museum of Art's Ancient Roman Coin Collection

The Roman Coin Collection

The Imperial Roman coin collection at St. Mary’s College is nearly comprehensive. The first coins date to 27 BC. They mark a new era with the rise of Octavian (nephew of Julius Caesar) later called Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome. He defeated the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra in consolidating his own power in 27 BC. The collection goes on to feature notable emperors like Caligula, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian, and Constantine the Great. A significant portion of the collection in the later period is devoted to Constantine and his family successors. The last of the coins reflects a declining Roman Empire and leadership. The last traditional Imperial Roman coin comes from the reign of Honorius, who ruled the Western Roman Empire from 394 AD to 423 AD. At this point in history, the Western Roman Empire was crumbling but did not officially fall until 476 AD. Historians mark the overthrow of Romulus Augustus by Odovacar as the end point for the history of the Western Roman Empire. 

There are coins from each emperor in the Collection: Augustus, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero (Juilo-Claudians), Vespasian and Domitian (Flavians), Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius (Adopted Emperors), Commodus, Septimius Severus, Severus Alexander, and Caracalla Antoninianus (House of Severans), Macrinus, Gordianus II, and  Gordianus III (House of Gordiani), Phillip the Arab, Trajanus Decius, Trebonianus Gallus, Gallienus and Valerion (House of Valeriani), Postumus, Victorinus, Tetricus, and Tetricus II (Gallo-Roman), Claudis II, Quintillus, Aureliarus, Tactis, Probus, Dicoletian, and Maximus (The Tetrarchy), Lucinius, Decentius, Constantine, Constantinus, Constantius Gallus, and Julian II (Family of Constantine), Valentinian, Valens, Gratian, Theodosius, Arcadius, and Honorius (House of Theodosius).