MAXIMIAN, Hercules. Medallion. (Ae. 40.99g/41mm). AD 297-298 Rome. Obv: VIRTVS MAXIMIANI AVG. Laureate bust in cuirass with Aegis of Maximian right carrying shield decorated by she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, behind a horse's head. Rev: MONETA AVGG. The three standing Moneta facing left, all three carrying scales and cornucopias. (Cohen 405; BPoor Medallions 4; Gnecchi 18). VF+. Obverse field refinished. Very rare.
Just as Diocletian did with Jupiter, Maximian is identified with Hercules in a magnificent portrait of great strength and realism. The intimate association of the ruler's person with the divine nature of the hero is part of the imperial propaganda programme, which found in coins and medals one of its best means of dissemination. This medal also includes another detail of great symbolic weight: the representation of Rome and its foundation in the images of the she-wolf, Romulus and Remus. On the reverse, and with the representation of the goddess Moneta, we find another scene with a powerful symbolic charge; it seems that the cult of this goddess was established due to the influence of the Greek religion and that this was the equivalent of the Greek cult of Mnemosyne. The allegory on the reverse of this medallion is therefore linked to the very origins of Roman civilisation. It is not the only reference to Greek culture present in this medallion. Back on the obverse we can see in the centre of the breastplate the mythological figure of Medusa, probably the most recognised villain in all of Greek mythology, capable of petrifying any living being with her simple glance.
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