RA115194. Billon antoninianus, Göbl MIR 577a, RIC V-1 S160, RSC IV 38b, Hunter IV 54, SRCV III -, VF, green patina, edge cracks, edge a little ragged, 2.900g, 21.8mm, 180^o, 3rd officina, Rome mint, GALLIENVS AVG, radiate head right; reverse AETERNITAS AVG, Sol standing half-left, nude but for paludamentum on shoulders and draped behind, raising right hand commanding the sun to rise, globe in left hand, Γ left

 

Gallienus was the first Roman emperor to commission primarily cavalry units, the Comitatenses, that could be dispatched anywhere in the Empire in short order. He also forbade senators from becoming military commanders. These policies undermined senatorial power, as equestrian commanders rose to prominence. These reforms and the decline in senatorial influence not only helped Aurelian to salvage the Empire, but they also make Gallienus one of the emperors most responsible for the creation of the Dominate, along with Septimius Severus, Diocletian, and Constantine I.