Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume V, Part 4: The Gallic Empire (AD 260-274)

The Roman Imperial Coinage (abbreviated RIC) is a typological catalogue of Roman Imperial coins from the Battle of Actium in 31 BC to Late Antiquity in 491 AD. It aims to offer a complete and chronological reconstruction of the whole coinage produced by each of the Roman emperors. The series was started in 1923, and has become the standard work for numismatic reference. It was previously comprised of 10 volumes in 13 parts, some of which are currently being revised and will be divided differently.

This brand new volume, published to celebrate the centenary of the series, covers the Gallic Empire from AD 260-274. The coinage of the Gallic Empire was catalogued as part of the first edition of RIC in 1933, and had many shortcomings, such as the inclusion of many imitative coins, whose nature has become much clearer over the past ninety years.  In addition, much new material has been discovered, and many valuable studies have been published, as have many hoards, particularly those from Cunetio and Normanby.  The systemic study and analysis of the whole coinage was undertaken by Jerome Kairat as his doctoral thesis, and his early work has now been revised to form this new RIC V.4.  

Amongst its many virtues, the new volume brings new light to the arrangement and dating of the coins.  The latter rests, as the author makes clear, on a fairly fragile foundations, and the introductory chapters set out a full discussion of the evidence.  Other chapters discuss the difficult question of attributions of coins to the mints of Trier and Cologne (as well as Milan) and offer a historical interpretation of the period, for which evidence other than coins is almost entirely lacking.  The detailed catalogue is followed by the plates; again a great improvement over the original edition.

Emperors Covered in the volume:

• Postumus
• Laelianus
• Marius
• Victorinus
• Divo Victorinus
• Domitian II
• Tetricus I
• Tetricus II

Jerome Mairat is the Curator of Roman Coins at the Ashmolean Museum and Lecturer in Roman Numismatics at the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford. He holds the positions of Director for RPC Online and General Editor for the Roman Provincial Coinage series, having authored several volumes. His research is primarily focused on the third century coinage, both imperial and provincial.

See our guide on Roman Imperial Coinage for more information on this series of books and how this title fits in the full set.

Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 2nd
Publication Date: December 2023
Size: 8.5 x 11
Pages: 402