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Product Description
SETTING
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14K YELLOW GOLD
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COIN
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AE ANTONINIANUS
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COIN AGE
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268 - 270 A.D.
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TOTAL SIZE
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.65" diameter overall
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INCLUDES GIFT BOX COMES WITH CERTIFICATE OF |
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DISPLAYED WITH A HEAVY 1.5MM WHEAT CHAIN
This superbly preserved genuins ancient bronze Roman coin was minted under the rule of Claudius II, also known as Claudius Gothicus. It is set in a smooth, simple 14KY gold pendant setting and ideal to wear by either a man or woman. The high relief of the portrait of Claudius Gothicus is further enhanced by the rich, warm green patina on the bronze. Claudius II was a celebrated horse soldier who led a victorious Roman cavalry. His tanacity and courage brought him up through the ranks to eventually be crowned emperor. Legends attribute him as being the Roman emperor who had Saint Valentine put to death, later becoming commemorated to this day as Valentines Day.
Claudius II Marcus Aurelius Valerius Claudius Augustus), commonly known as Claudius Gothicus, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and scored a victory against the Goths at the Battle of Naissus. He died after succumbing to the Plague of Cyprian that ravaged the provinces of the Empire.
Claudius had served with the Roman army for all his adult life, making his way up the military hierarchy until Emperor Gallienus made him the commander of his elite cavalry force and subsequently his military deputy. In September 268, he found himself assigned as a military tribune with the Imperial Army besieging the usurper Aureolus in Milan. His troops then proclaimed him Emperor.
It is possible Claudius gained his position and the respect of the soldiers by being physically strong and especially cruel. When Claudius performed as a wrestler in the 250s, he supposedly knocked out the teeth of his opponent when his genitalia had been grabbed in the match.
At the Battle of Naissus, Claudius and his legions routed a huge Gothic army. Together with his cavalry commander, the future Emperor Aurelian, the Romans took thousands of prisoners, destroyed the Gothic cavalry as a force, and stormed their laager (a circular alignment of wagons long favored by the Goths). The victory earned Claudius his surname of "Gothicus" (conqueror of the Goths), and that is how he is known to this day.
Claudius Gothicus has been linked to execution of Saint Valentine since the Middle Ages. The Golden Legend of 1260 AD recounts how St. Valentine refused to deny Christ before the "Emperor Claudius" in 270 AD and as a result was beheaded. Since then, February 14 marks Valentine's Day, a day set aside by the Christian church in memory of the Roman priest and physician. A tale of martydom was recorded in Passio Marii et Marthae, a work published in the 5th or 6th century. The legend refers to "Emperor Claudius" but Claudius I did not persecute Christians, so people believe he was Claudius II even though this emperor spent most of his time warring outside his territory. The legend was retold in later texts. In the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 AD, the emperor martyred the Roman priest during a general persecution of Christians. The text states that St. Valentine was beaten with clubs and finally beheaded for giving aid to Christians in Rome.