DN VALENS PF AVG, Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right / GLORIA ROMANORVM, emperor walking right, head left, holding labarum, and grasping bound captive at the top of the head, marks in fields, mintmark in exergue. 19mm, 2.06 grams. Siscia mint. RIC 14. SKU X3504-32641

Valens (Flavius Julius Valens) was a Roman emperor who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire from 364 to 378 AD. He was appointed co-emperor by his brother, Valentinian I, who ruled the West. Valens spent much of his reign dealing with threats along the eastern frontier, including conflicts with the Sasanian Empire, and internal revolts such as the rebellion of Procopius early in his rule.

Valens is most famously associated with the catastrophic Battle of Adrianople in 378 AD, where he faced the invading Goths, who had been allowed into the empire as refugees but revolted due to mistreatment. Valens underestimated the strength of the Gothic forces and attacked without waiting for reinforcements from the West. The Roman army suffered a devastating defeat, and Valens was killed in the battle, possibly burned alive in a farmhouse where he had taken refuge. His death marked a major turning point in Roman history, exposing the vulnerability of the empire to barbarian invasions and contributing to its eventual decline.