Maximinus Thrax

Maximinus came from Thrace (today's Bulgaria), which earned him the epithet Thrax. According to the unreliable Historia Augusta, he was the son of a Gothic father and an Alanic mother; this information, however, is questioned, since the Goths only later appeared in the Danubian area. Maximinus was apparently a shepherd and possibly also a leader of a band of robbers before he entered the Roman army under the reign of Septimius Severus.

His legendary physical strength and military abilities ensured his swift advancement in the army ranks. He served under the emperors Caracalla and Severus Alexander, under whom he commanded the legions on the Rhine frontier. In March 235, when soldiers enraged by Severus's negotiation policy with the Germanic tribes murdered the emperor and his mother, the Pannonian legions proclaimed Maximinus emperor.

History

Maximinus's reign was marked by constant military campaigns against the Alamanni, the Dacians and the Sarmatians. To finance the wars he doubled the soldiers' pay, which required a drastic increase in taxes. In 238 a rebellion broke out in Africa, and the Senate proclaimed Gordian I and his son emperors. Maximinus marched on Rome, but was halted at Aquileia. His starving soldiers mutinied and in May or June 238 murdered him along with his son Maximus.

The coins of Maximinus Thrax reflect the military character of his reign. The obverse shows the laureate portrait of the emperor with a distinctive face, massive forehead and short beard — features that correspond to descriptions of his unusual physical constitution. Some researchers consider that Maximinus suffered from acromegaly (excessive production of growth hormone), which would explain his legendary stature.

Maximinus Thrax and coinage

The main denominations were silver denarii and bronze sestertii struck at the Roman mint. On the reverses appear traditional motifs — the goddess Victoria with wreath and palm, Salus feeding a serpent, Fides with military standards. After his victory over the Alamanni in 235, Maximinus assumed the title Germanicus Maximus, which appears on later mintages.

Maximinus's coins are relatively accessible on the numismatic market, especially bronze asses and sestertii. Rarer are well-preserved denarii with sharply cut portraits. The coins document the brief but intensive period of the rule of the "barracks emperor" who never entered Rome.