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Brass Sestertius of Maximinus the Thracian
Maximinus the First is one of those legendary characters that has always captured the author's imagination. Little is really known about him, and what Gibbon writes probably comes from the Historia Augusta. The stories claim that he as eight feet tall and could eat forty pounds of meat at one meal. One thing is known, though. Maximinus was a professional soldier and was very skilled at his craft. His portraits on coins, with the large jaw and chin which protrudes to the point of almost being comical indicate a large, physically powerful man. His facial features and expression making him appear every bit as capable of "Giving somebody the business" with sword or pilum as his reputation attempts to make us believe.
A brief biographical sketch of Maximinus the Thracian and his times can be found in the Roman Emperors area of this site. There you will find the story of the sometimes wise, sometimes cruel emperor who ushered the Roman Empire into a new and uncertain age in the mid Third Century.
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