![]() | A metal detectorist found a gold coin in Kent with the image of the Roman Emperor Allectus with two kneeling captives at the feet of the god Apollo on the obverse. In power from 293 to 296 AD, Allectus was one of two Roman emperors who ruled Britannia and northern Gaul as an independent nation between 286 and 296 AD. The British Museum owns the only other known example of an Allectus aureus, and no one has discovered a coin bearing his visage in over 50 years. | ![]() |
![]() | Allectus was treasurer to Carausius, an officer in the Roman navy who had seized power in Britain and northern Gaul in 286. Allectus murdered him. Constantius launched an invasion to depose Allectus in September 296. He was killed in battle. A bronze antoninianus coin (2 denarii) of Allectus is notable for the history it reflects. Slender and shallow ships were used in Roman rivers until late antiquity and played a significant military role. The ship was easy to navigate and thus sailors could be trained quickly. Each carried 50 men, with 30 of them rowing. |