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DOI Artikel:Boruch, Wojciech: The language of propaganda of the year of the four emperors in the light of imperial coinage
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22229#0065
Tom VI
Kraków 2011
mi
WOJCIECH BORUCH
Katowice
THE LANGUAGE OF PROPAGANDA
OF THE YEAR OF THE FOUR EMPERORS
IN THE LIGHT OF IMPERIAL COINAGE
The Year of the Four Emperors constitutes one of the most interesting periods
in the history of the Roman Empire in the first century AD. The author’s intent is to
describe the character of the imperial propaganda at the time, both shared and ori-
ginal elements connected with the political, military and ideological aspects of the
principates of Galba1, Otho2, Vitellius3 and Vespasian4.
In the last fifty years the significance of the events in the years AD 68-69 has
drawn the attention of three monographs deyoted to the period5. Ali of them treat
1 For a generał description of the rule of the emperor Galba see, among others E. FABBRICOTTI, Galba,
Roma 1976; C. M. KRAAY, TheAes Coinage of Galba, New York 1956; Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 4,
Stuttgart 1998, pp. 746-747; C. MURISON, Suetonius. Galba Otho, Yitellius, London 2001. Cf. the interesting
comments about the rule of the emperor by A. DEL CASTILLO, “The Emperor Galba's Assumption of Power:
Some Chronological Considerations”, Historia: Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, 51, 2002, pp. 449-461 who pro-
poses a new chronology for accepting successive imperial titles.
2 For the rule of Otho see also, among others W.E. METCALF, “The coinage of Otho and early imperial mint
organization”, [in:] M. PRICE (ed.), Essays in Honour of Robert Carson and Kenneth Jenkins, London 1993, pp.
155-160; H. DREXLER, „Zur Geschichte Kaiser Othos bei Tacitus und Plutarch”, Klio, 37, 1959, pp. 153-178;
MURISON, Suetonius...', Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 9, Stuttgart 2000, pp. 107-108.
3 For the rule of Vitellius see, among others B. RICHTER, Yitellius. Ein Zerrbild der Geschichtsschreibung.
Untersuchungen zum Prinzipat des A. Yitellius, Frankfurt am Main 1992; A. J. COALE JR., Yitellius Imperator.
A study in the liter ary and numismatic sources for the rebellion and rule of the emperor Yitellius, A.D.69, Diss.
Univ. of Michigan Ann Arbor 1971; MURISON, Suetonius...', Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 12/2,
Stuttgart 2002, pp. 260-261; W. BORUCH, “Notes on the propaganda dimension of Vitellian coinage” [in:]
P. BERDOWSKI, B. BLAHACZEK (eds.), Haec Mihi in Animis Yestris Templa. Studia Classica in Memory of
Professor Lesław Morawiecki, Kraków 2007, pp. 255-269.
4 For Vespasian see, among others B. LE VICK, Yespasian, London and New York 1999; B. JONES, R. MILNS,
Suetonius: The Flavian Emperors. A Historical Commentary, London 2003; L. HOMO, Yespasien, 1’empereur du
bon sens (69-79 ap. J.—C.), Paris 1949; Neue Pauly... vol. 12/2, pp. 125-130.
5 See: G. MORGAN, 69 A.D. The Year of the Four Emperors, Oxford 2006; K. WELLESLEY, B. LEVICK,
The Year of the Four Emperors, London and New York 2000; P.A.L. GREENHALGH, The Year of the Four Em-
perors, New York 1975. Also dissertations by H. GRASSL, Untersuchungen zum Yierkaiserjahr 68/69 n. Chr. Ein
Kraków 2011
mi
WOJCIECH BORUCH
Katowice
THE LANGUAGE OF PROPAGANDA
OF THE YEAR OF THE FOUR EMPERORS
IN THE LIGHT OF IMPERIAL COINAGE
The Year of the Four Emperors constitutes one of the most interesting periods
in the history of the Roman Empire in the first century AD. The author’s intent is to
describe the character of the imperial propaganda at the time, both shared and ori-
ginal elements connected with the political, military and ideological aspects of the
principates of Galba1, Otho2, Vitellius3 and Vespasian4.
In the last fifty years the significance of the events in the years AD 68-69 has
drawn the attention of three monographs deyoted to the period5. Ali of them treat
1 For a generał description of the rule of the emperor Galba see, among others E. FABBRICOTTI, Galba,
Roma 1976; C. M. KRAAY, TheAes Coinage of Galba, New York 1956; Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 4,
Stuttgart 1998, pp. 746-747; C. MURISON, Suetonius. Galba Otho, Yitellius, London 2001. Cf. the interesting
comments about the rule of the emperor by A. DEL CASTILLO, “The Emperor Galba's Assumption of Power:
Some Chronological Considerations”, Historia: Zeitschrift fur Alte Geschichte, 51, 2002, pp. 449-461 who pro-
poses a new chronology for accepting successive imperial titles.
2 For the rule of Otho see also, among others W.E. METCALF, “The coinage of Otho and early imperial mint
organization”, [in:] M. PRICE (ed.), Essays in Honour of Robert Carson and Kenneth Jenkins, London 1993, pp.
155-160; H. DREXLER, „Zur Geschichte Kaiser Othos bei Tacitus und Plutarch”, Klio, 37, 1959, pp. 153-178;
MURISON, Suetonius...', Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 9, Stuttgart 2000, pp. 107-108.
3 For the rule of Vitellius see, among others B. RICHTER, Yitellius. Ein Zerrbild der Geschichtsschreibung.
Untersuchungen zum Prinzipat des A. Yitellius, Frankfurt am Main 1992; A. J. COALE JR., Yitellius Imperator.
A study in the liter ary and numismatic sources for the rebellion and rule of the emperor Yitellius, A.D.69, Diss.
Univ. of Michigan Ann Arbor 1971; MURISON, Suetonius...', Neue Pauli. Encyklopadie der Antike, vol. 12/2,
Stuttgart 2002, pp. 260-261; W. BORUCH, “Notes on the propaganda dimension of Vitellian coinage” [in:]
P. BERDOWSKI, B. BLAHACZEK (eds.), Haec Mihi in Animis Yestris Templa. Studia Classica in Memory of
Professor Lesław Morawiecki, Kraków 2007, pp. 255-269.
4 For Vespasian see, among others B. LE VICK, Yespasian, London and New York 1999; B. JONES, R. MILNS,
Suetonius: The Flavian Emperors. A Historical Commentary, London 2003; L. HOMO, Yespasien, 1’empereur du
bon sens (69-79 ap. J.—C.), Paris 1949; Neue Pauly... vol. 12/2, pp. 125-130.
5 See: G. MORGAN, 69 A.D. The Year of the Four Emperors, Oxford 2006; K. WELLESLEY, B. LEVICK,
The Year of the Four Emperors, London and New York 2000; P.A.L. GREENHALGH, The Year of the Four Em-
perors, New York 1975. Also dissertations by H. GRASSL, Untersuchungen zum Yierkaiserjahr 68/69 n. Chr. Ein