Roman Empire β Silver denarius of Marcus Aurelius (
Marcus Aurelius. A.D., AR denarius (19 mm, 2.72 g). Rome mint, struck in 166. M ANTONINVS AVG ARM PARTH MAX, laurelled head facing right / TR P XX IMP IIII COS III, PAX, Pax facing right with a branch and a cornucopia RIC 159 corr (Pax seated); BMCRE 401; RSC 435. Nearly Extremely Fine.The Roman war against the Parthians lasted from 161 to 166 A.D., when Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius captured their capital Ctesiphon. This coin was struck in that latter year, to celebrate the successful campaign. Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 5 good emperors. He was a nephew of Faustina I. Hadrian was very impressed by the young man and saw to it that he was adopted by Antoninus Pius. Antoninus Pius arranged a marriage between Marcus and Faustina II. When Pius died, Marcus appointed Lucius Verus as co-emperor. Marcus Aurelius was a philosophical emperor and tried to enlighten his empire. In the end Marcus Aurelius appointed his son Commodus as emperor and thus brought an end to the principle of adopted emperors. A big mistake, because Commodus was incapable and therefore disaster was brought down on the empire and its future.Please see image for your own impression. Read More