RIC413  Radiate draped bust facing rgt, “IMP C NVMERIANVS P F AVG”, Rev: Numerian stg rgt receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter. “CLEMENTIA TEMP”. Heraclea mint.  After the murder of Emperor Probus in September 282, Carus, the praetorian prefect was declared emperor by the legions. Numerian was the youngest son of Carus and was immediately elevated to the rank of Augustus along with his brother Carinus. In 283 Carus along with Numerian led roman forces against the Sassanian empire which was in the middle of its own civil war. The romans captured the territory of Seleucia and successfully besieged the Sassanian capital, Ctesiphon. As the Romans withdrew from Sassanian territory, emperor Carus died, supposedly by a lightning strike. Numerian took full command and continued to lead the Roman forces back into Syria. Then the story gets a little strange. (as if an emperor being struck by lightning is not strange enough) According to the praetorian prefect Aper, Numerian came down with an eye infection that required him to remain out of the sun in an enclosed coach.  As the Roman army continued a slow progress westward the rumor spread that Numerian who hadn’t been seen for over a week, was dead. Lo and behold when the carriage was opened Numerian’s rotting body was discovered. Numerian’s generals and tribunes called a council for the succession, which met at Chalcedon across the Bosphorus. The council chose as emperor, Diocletian, commander of the cavalry of the imperial bodyguard. Diocletian accepted the purple and promptly had Aper executed.  Scarce. EF wt 3.63 gr