Bronze sestertius of Gordian III (AD 238–244), struck at the Rome mint between AD 241–244, belongs to issues from the final phase of his reign, a period marked by active military operations in the East during the war against the Sasanian Empire. Despite these real challenges, imperial coinage consistently conveyed a message of stability and prosperity.
The obverse presents a laureate bust of the emperor facing right with the legend IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG, reflecting his official titulature and the honorifics Pius and Felix, emphasizing piety and good fortune.
The reverse shows Pax advancing left, holding an olive branch in her raised right hand and a sceptre in her left, with the legend PAX AETERNA. The dynamic representation of the figure suggests the active establishment of peace, while the epithet aeterna reinforces the propagandistic notion of enduring and perpetual order within the empire.
Roman Imperial
Gordian III (238-244), Sestertius 241-244, Rome mint
Obverse: laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right
IMP GORDIANVS PIVS FEL AVG
