| abstract |
In the modern historical retelling of the events which caused the tumultuous Year of the
Four Emperors, circa 68-69 CE, little or no attention is given to the role of Gaius Julius Vindex.
While today he is remembered as a mere footnote in the rise to the throne of the much more well-
known Spanish governor Servius Galba, Vindex was, in fact, an influential Gallo-Roman politician
and governor who first raised the flag of rebellion against Nero in spring of 68 CE (Weigall, 368).
Further supporting the claim that Vindex played a larger role in the overthrow of Nero than he is
remembered for is the unanimity in which the ancient historians Tacitus, Suetonius, Dio and
Plutarch describe him as the true mastermind of the revolution and its propaganda. For example,
Vindex is credited as the first person to realize what Tacitus called "that great secret of the [Roman]
empire: that emperors could be made outside of Rome" (Hist. 1.4.4). What Tacitus meant was that
even in a time especially violent as Nero's reign, there had never in the history of the empire been
a coordinated effort between politicians in the capital and the governors with their legions in the
provinces to cause regime change. In short, no one before Vindex had attempted to overthrow an
emperor by using the resources of the provinces to muster an army, win allies through propaganda,
and proclaim a rival candidate for the throne.
A major yet overlooked effort Vindex undertook in pursuit of his political goals was the
production of his own coinage. Such coinage played a crucial role in his rebellion to spread
propaganda about his cause, pay his allies, and proclaim Galba's claim to the throne (Kraay, 1-2).
Where previous scholars either addressed the written history surrounding Vindex or the
numismatic evidence, this work will synthesize the two. The purpose of this thesis is to tell a fuller
picture of Vindex's conspiracy and its political goals using numismatic evidence, historical and
archaeological evidence.
This thesis is divided into seven chapters covering the reign of Nero to the reign of
Vespasian, roughly 54-72 CE. The purpose of this grouping is to provide political context to the
revolt of Vindex, and after his revolt is discussed analyze the legacy of his propaganda in the
propaganda of later emperors.
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