Maximinus II...the last Pharaoh and his Great Persecution

[Victor]

Maximinus Daza was the last person given the title of pharaoh...though Maximinus didn't use the title as it was merely honorific.

He was famously anti-Christian; which appealed to the priests of Egypt, and in Maximinus, they saw a small glimmer of hope in restoring some of the old greatness of Egypt.

Maximinus is most commonly associated with the Great Persecution...even though he was merely a staunch conservative and only wanted to make Rome great again 




 

Maximinus II
A.D. 310- 311
Ӕ follis 23mm 7.5g
IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS PF AVG; laureate head right.
GENIO EXERCITVS; (Genius of the Army) Genius standing left, modius on head, naked except for chlamys over left shoulder, holding patera from which liquid flows over altar & cornucopiae; crescent in left field, Z in right.
In ex. ANT
RIC VI Antioch 147c

The GENIO type is a common reverse and was issued by the Tetrarchic emperors for over a decade, but the seemingly peaceful scene depicted on the reverse was very contentious for many people in the years A.D. 303- 313.

During this period, Christians were persecuted and many were killed because of what was depicted on the reverse. The design was modeled after a statue of the Spirit of the Roman People (GENIO POPVLI ROMANI) which used to stand in the Roman forum. The reverse on the coin below depicts Genius holding a patera and pouring a libation over an altar.

Diocletian feared that Christians were weakening the Empire and in A.D. 303 declared that everyone must perform public sacrifices to demonstrate their loyalty to the Emperor and Rome. This was really just a conservative move to reaffirm traditional civic virtues. The act depicted on the reverse of the GENIO coin was one that Roman citizens were expected to perform; but many Christians refused and were martyred. The persecution was firmly enforced in the Eastern Empire by Maximinus, less so in the West. The persecution officially ended in A.D. 313.

Something to think about the next time that you see a common GENIO coin.


 

Anonymous pagan civic coinage under Maximinus II
ca. A.D. 312
Æ quarter nummus
15mm 1.9g
GENIO ANTIOCHENI; Statue of the Tyche of Antioch on rock, below the river god Orontes.
APOLLONI SANCTO; Apollo, stg.l. holding patera and lyre, in right field Z.
In ex. SMA
Mint of Antioch
Vagi 2954; Van Heesch 3a

[Heliodromus]

Maximinus Daza was the last person given the title of pharaoh...though Maximinus didn't use the title as it was merely honorific.

He was famously anti-Christian; which appealed to the priests of Egypt, and in Maximinus, they saw a small glimmer of hope in restoring some of the old greatness of Egypt.

Are you sure he was actually referred to as "pharaoh"?

I've read that his name was used on cartouches, but only in form of "caesar maximinus", missing all the elaborate "king of upper and lower egypt", throne name, horus name, etc components that had been used earlier.

I guess that as ruler (supportive of the egyptian gods) he could still be invoked as mediator between the people and gods, but it seems the romans weren't seen quite the same as the old kings.

[Victor]

Maximinus Daza was the last person given the title of pharaoh...though Maximinus didn't use the title as it was merely honorific.

He was famously anti-Christian; which appealed to the priests of Egypt, and in Maximinus, they saw a small glimmer of hope in restoring some of the old greatness of Egypt.

Are you sure he was actually referred to as "pharaoh"?

I've read that his name was used on cartouches, but only in form of "caesar maximinus", missing all the elaborate "king of upper and lower egypt", throne name, horus name, etc components that had been used earlier.

I guess that as ruler (supportive of the egyptian gods) he could still be invoked as mediator between the people and gods, but it seems the romans weren't seen quite the same as the old kings.

 

according to my meager understanding, these were royal cartouches...which symbolized a pharaonic title, even if the word "pharaoh" was not explicitly used.


but here is the expert on this topic--

von Beckerath, Jürgen (1984). Handbuch der ägyptischen Königsnamen. Müncher Ägyptologische Studien. Munich: Deutscher Kunstverlag. ISBN 3-422-00832-2.


and a Maximinus from Alexandria with a Serapis head

 

Maximinus II
A.D. 312
22mm 4.5g
IMP C GAL VAL MAXIMINVS P F AVG; laureate head right.
GENIO AVGVSTI; Genius standing left, modius on head, naked but for chlamys over left shoulder, right holding head of Serapis, left cornucopiae; crescent over X left and B in right field.
In ex. ANT
RIC VI Alexandria 152b

[Lech Stępniewski]

I wonder why Maximinus was the last "pharaoh" but not Licinius or Constantine. Rome mint still minted VOTA PVBLICA with Isis, Anubis etc.

[Heliodromus]

The festival of Isis in Rome, aka Navigium Isidis festival, wasn't really about recognizing the Egyptian gods and religion, but rather about the opening of the sailing season, and invoking Isis Pharia as protector of the sailors. The "festival of Isis coins" appear to have really been protective amulets, which is why such so many of them are holed for wearing.

https://www.numisforums.com/topic/5149-constantine-and-the-festival-of-isis

The role of Pharoah was more than ruler - he was high priest and representative of the gods, so venerating the Egyptian gods would be a minimal requirement. Daia had at least included Serapis on his coinage (GENIO, SOLI, COONCORDIA argenteus, civic DEO SARAPIDI, DEO SANCTO NILO), and I suppose Sol could perhaps be regarded as similar to the sun god Ra.

I've read that after the death of Daia, the Egyptians briefly resorted to using Diocletian on funerary cartouches, who also had recognized local gods with his Alexandrian post-reform types DEO SANCT SARAPIDI and DEAE SANCTAE ISIDI, and had at least set foot in Egypt!

[Lech Stępniewski]

OK, but I am still not fully convinced. Invoking Isis as protector is also a form of recognizing Egyptian god. Legend VOTA PVBLICA is very meaningful. By the way, as far as I know there is no such festival coin/token/amulet with bust of Daia.

[Heliodromus]

It's really Isis Pharia (ISIS FARIA legend on the later non-imperial tokens) being recognized - Isis' aspect of protector of boats and navigation, named after the Pharos lighthouse.

Note that the Licinius FoI pieces were issued by Constantine in 314 AD, by which time Daia was already dead. For whatever reason Constantine only issued  these for himself for his first celebration in 313 AD.