AE Antoninianus 2.40g. 20mm. 267-268 A.D. Rome Mint
Radiate head, r.
GALLIENVS AVG
Antelope (or gazelle) l.; In ex.: (gamma)
DIANAE CONS AVG
RIC V 180
Dark brown patina. Sharp portrait and nice antelope.
Light porosity, as typical. Unevenly struck.
Part of Gallienus' 'zoo series.' Officina 3 (gamma) struck coins featuring an antelope or gazelle and was dedicated to Diana.
The coins referred to as the 'zoo series' of Gallienus invoke the gods for the 'preservation of the emperor' (conservatori augustus). Each officina struck a different reverse type, naming a different god and depicting one of that god's represenative animals or mythical beasts; a doe for Diana and a hippocamp for Neptune, for example. While it has been thought that this series was struck to commemorate religious festivals, their issuance during the final years of Gallienus' troubled reign likely reveals that they were indeed struck as a public appeal to the gods for protection in the face of plagues, invasions, and rebellions that challenged the Empire.
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