Posthumous antoninianus of Valerian II (d. AD 258), struck at the Lugdunum between AD 258–259, belongs to the consecratio issues produced after the death of members of the imperial family and intended to signify their elevation to divine status. Coins of this type constitute one of the key iconographic sources for the study of apotheosis in the Roman world.
The obverse presents a radiate bust facing right, with the legend DIVO VALERIANO CAES, identifying the deceased as the “divine Valerian,” son of Gallienus. The use of the title divus reflects the formal act of deification, an integral element of imperial dynastic policy.
The reverse depicts an Eagle (aquila) carrying the figure of the Caesar upward toward the heavens, with the legend CONSACRATIO. The eagle, as a vehicle of the soul, is well attested in ancient literary and visual sources as a symbol of apotheosis—the transition from the human to the divine realm. This imagery belongs to a long-established repertoire of consecration coinage used since earlier imperial periods.
The legend CONSACRATIO explicitly denotes the act of deification and serves as an official affirmation of the deceased’s inclusion among the gods. Such issues were closely tied to funerary rituals and to the broader dynastic strategy aimed at reinforcing continuity and legitimizing imperial authority.
Roman Imperial
Valerian II (253-255, son of Galien), Antoninianus 258-259, Lugdunum mint
Obverse: radiate and draped bust right
DIVO VALERIANO CAES
Reverse: Valerian II, holding sceptre, astride eagle flying right
CONSACRATIO
Diameter 22 mm, weight 3.68 g
