Name/Title
CE 0253 - 0268 Roman Empire, Gallienus Antoninianus, Apollo and Centaur ReverseDescription
Antoninianus of Gallienus with Centaur
Roman Empire, Rome mint
Reign of Gallienus, CE 253–268; type generally associated with his sole reign, CE 260–268
Billon antoninianus
20 mm; 3.26 g
Obverse: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head of Gallienus facing right
Reverse: APOLLINI CONS AVG, centaur walking left, holding globe and trophy; H below
References: RIC V.1 164; Cohen 74; RSC 74; Sear 10177
This coin belongs to the so-called “zoo” or animal series of Gallienus, a late-third-century group of antoniniani pairing protective deities with animals or mythological creatures. Here the reverse legend invokes Apollo as protector or preserver of the emperor, while the centaur serves as the symbolic figure associated with Apollo in this issue. The same Apollo group also included griffin reverses.
The antoninianus was a radiate denomination originally introduced under Caracalla in CE 215. By the reign of Gallienus, the denomination had undergone severe debasement: the coin still carried the visual language of a silver imperial currency, but its actual precious-metal content had declined sharply. The radiate crown on Gallienus’s portrait marks the denomination.
Gallienus ruled jointly with his father Valerian from CE 253 to 260 and then as sole emperor until his death in CE 268. His reign fell within the third-century imperial crisis, when military pressure, usurpation, and monetary instability shaped imperial policy and imagery. In that context, the animal series can be read as religious-political messaging: the emperor is shown as under the protection of multiple divine powers.Create Date
May 20, 2026Update Date
June 18, 2026
