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                                        Roman Imperial
                     [Coin Picture]     Siliqua
                                        Good VF
                                        $595.00

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Description:
Eugenius. 392-394 AD. AR Siliqua (1.33 gm). Milan mint. DN EVGENIVS PF
AVG, diademed, draped bust right / VIRTVS ROMANORVM, Roma seated left on
cuirass, MDPS below. RIC IX 432c; RSC 14b. Good VF, light toning. $595.
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History:
Eugenius was an official in the court of Valentinian II when that young
emperor's suicide left the throne empty. The Frankish generalissimo
Arbogast, who held real power, selected Eugenius as his docile puppet and
raised him to the purple. Although nominally a Christian, Eugenius'
academic background made Pagans flock to his support. The Eastern Emperor
Theodosius I The Great, a zealous Catholic, could not let this bid for
power go unchallenged, and marched his army westward. Arbogast and
Eugenius met him at the battle of Frigidus in northern Italy; the Western
legions marched under standards that included Pagan symbols such as the
thunderbolt of Jupiter. But the old gods could not help them: Theodosius
emerged victorious after a hard-fought battle. Arbogast fell on his
sword; Eugenius was captured and put to death. Frigidus was the last
stand of Roman Paganism. From then on, Christianity ruled unchallenged.

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