Abstrakt: | In the Roman Empire of the 3rd century crisis the title of princeps iuventus was
born by: 1. caesares, 2. caesares, who were promoted to the rank of augusti, 3. augusti.
It cannot be excluded, that the title of princeps iuventutis came to designate
the idea of security and stabilization, the values which the reign of the dynasty
seemed to secure so it was also used at the time when, in fact, there was no reigning
dynasty. Besides, it was then when the coins propagating the idea of iuventas
Augusti wereissued. That iuventas was supposed to give – like other virtutes – ideological
sanction to the imperial power. Monetary representations, in particular, show that in the 3rd century the
notions of iuventas/
iuventus and princeps iuventutis extended its basic meanings
by interweaving and combining them. In the coinage of the time the resonance
of the phrase: “tu es Iuventas”, addressed to many rulers, was really strong. |