Sponsianus

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Gold aureus with the legend "Imp(erator) Sponsian(us) // C(aesar) Aug(ustus)"

Sponsianus is believed to have been a usurper to the position of Roman emperor who attempted to seize the throne during the 240s, likely during the rule of Philip the Arab or Gordian III. The only evidence for his existence are two aurei, formerly thought to be eighteenth-century fakes. After further study of one of these coins in 2022, researchers now consider that he was a real person who ruled briefly over the Roman province of Dacia, but was lost to written history.[1]

Evidence

The sole evidence found for the existence of Sponsian is his name on two aurei. One was found in 1713 in Transylvania, and for years had been kept locked away in a cupboard in the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University, which also held three other coins from the original hoard.[2] The hoard included other coins bearing the names of Philip the Arab and Gordian III. The coins were part of the bequest of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, a Habsburg Governor of Transylvania.[1] The numismatist Henry Cohen believed them to be "very poor quality modern forgeries".[1] The problems with the aureus are twofold: firstly, the obverse (face) side of the coin is "barbaric and strange" according to the findings of the Roman Imperial Coinage (a British catalogue of Roman Imperial currency), and the reverse (tail) side of the coin appears to be a copy of a Republican denarius struck in 135 BC.[3] However, according to the ancient numismatist Wayne Sayles, as the usurpers and emperors of the time were often ephemeral, the lack of further coins should not be seen as evidence that Sponsian did not actually exist.[4]

After further study in 2022, scientists reported that scratch marks on this coin, visible under an electron microscope, proved that it was in circulation about 2,000 years ago.[1] Professor Paul Pearson of University College London, led the research and said that he was astonished by the confirmation that the coin had been used.[2] Jesper Ericsson said a chemical analysis also showed that the coins had been buried in soil for hundreds of years.[1] Earth deposits in recesses of the coin are typical of those found after a long period in the ground.[5]

On the basis of the above analysis, another coin bearing Sponsian's name, in the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu in Transylvania, has also been reclassified as genuine.[1]

History

If legitimate, based upon the other coins found with the aureus, it would potentially place Sponsian's ruling period sometime in the 240s.[6] It is thought that this would have taken place within the rule of Gordian III (238-244 AD) or Philip the Arab (244–249 AD).[7] Based upon the location of his aurei, one theory is that Sponsian is believed to have staged a revolt in Pannonia.[8]

Another possibility is that he was a military commander who crowned himself as emperor when Dacia was cut off from the rest of the empire around 260. With an ongoing pandemic and civil war, and the empire being fragmented at the time, Sponsian may have assumed supreme command to protect the military and civilian population of Dacia until order was restored. Dacia was eventually evacuated between 271 and 275.[1] According to Jesper Ericsson:

Our interpretation is that he was in charge to maintain control of the military and of the civilian population because they were surrounded and completely cut off. In order to create a functioning economy in the province they decided to mint their own coins.

— Jesper Ericsson, [1]

The Roman Empire in this period was highly unstable; many peripheral areas were likely left to fend for themselves. Sponsian may have found himself responsible for thousands of people, without support from the central regime of the empire, and surrounded by hostile tribes; in this context, Sponsian's taking the title of emperor may be considered an attempt to maintain order. No evidence has been found of Sponsian' rule elsewhere, and this would seem to indicate that Sponsian was not interested, or not successful, in expanding his territory.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Ghosh 2022.
  2. ^ a b Pearson et al.
  3. ^ Vagi 2000, p. 331.
  4. ^ Sayles 2007, p. 121.
  5. ^ Pearson 2022, p. 227.
  6. ^ Hartmann 1982, p. 121.
  7. ^ Mennen 2011, p. A1.
  8. ^ Goldsworthy 2009, p. 427.
  9. ^ Knapton 2022.

Sources

  • Ghosh, Pallab (2022-11-24). "Gold coin proves 'fake' Roman emperor was real". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  • Goldsworthy, Adrian (2009). How Rome Fell: Death of a Superpower. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300155600.
  • Hartmann, Felix (1982). Herrscherwechsel und Reichskrise : Untersuchungen zu den Ursachen und Konsequenzen der Herrscherwechsel im Imperium Romanum der Soldatenkaiserzeit (3. Jahrhundert n. Chr.). P. Lang. ISBN 978-3820461954.
  • Knapton, Sarah (2022-11-23). "Long lost Roman emperor revealed as coins give up their secret". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  • Mennen, Inge (2011). Power and Status in the Roman Empire, AD 193–284. Brill. ISBN 9789004203594.
  • Pearson, Paul N.; Botticelli, Michela; Ericsson, Jesper; Olender, Jacek; Spruženiece, Liene (2022-11-23). "Authenticating coins of the 'Roman emperor' Sponsian". PLOS ONE. 17 (11): e0274285. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0274285. ISSN 1932-6203. PMID 36417346.
  • Pearson, Paul N. (2022). The Roman Empire in crisis, 248-260. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-39909-097-1.
  • Sayles, Wayne G. (2007). Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World. KP. ISBN 9780896894785.
  • Vagi, David L. (2000). Coinage and History of the Roman Empire, c. 82 B.C.- A.D. 480. Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 9781579583163.
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