Publius Quinctilius Varus (c. 46 BC – 9 AD) was a Roman politician and general. A member of an old, though not recently powerful, patrician family, Varus's father had been a Republican who sided against Julius Caesar and Augustus. Varus, however, firmly aligned himself with Augustus's new regime.

Varus became a trusted figure within the emperor's inner circle, a status solidified by his marriage to Vipsania Marcella, the daughter of Augustus’s right-hand man, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. This direct tie to the imperial family demonstrated his high standing and loyalty. His political career was a model of Augustan success: in 13 BC, he held the prestigious office of consul, sharing it with Augustus’s stepson and future emperor, Tiberius.

Following his consulship, Varus served as the governor of the wealthy province of Africa and then as the powerful legate of Syria, where he commanded four legions. In Syria, 7 - 4 BC, Varus used his position as provincial governor to make himself very wealthy. Based on the coins minted under Varus, we know Varus governed the Syrian province from 7 or 6 BC to 4 BC. These are the final years of Herod The Great before his death in 4 BC. It was Varus who led legions supported by Berytus auxiliaries that suppressed the Jewish revolt immediately following Herod's death and ended with Varus crucifying approximately 2,000 Jews. By the time Varus swept down from Syria, Jesus, Mary and Joseph would have already been on their way to Egypt to flee from Herod's decree aimed at killing Jesus (Matthew 2:13-18). 

His successful, if harsh, career led to his final appointment around 7 AD as governor of the newly conquered province of Germania. Augustus tasked Varus with fully integrating the territory between the Rhine and Elbe rivers, which involved establishing Roman law, founding settlements, and, crucially, levying taxes on the Germanic tribes. This policy bred deep resentment among the supposedly pacified people.

In 9 AD, Varus was betrayed by Arminius, a Germanic prince who had served in the Roman army, earned Roman citizenship, and become a trusted advisor to Varus. Arminius secretly forged an alliance of tribes and lured Varus, at the head of three full legions (XVII, XVIII, and XIX), into a devastating ambush in the dense Teutoburg Forest. Over three days, the trapped, strung-out Roman army of nearly 20,000 men was completely annihilated. Seeing the disaster was total, Varus and his senior officers fell on their swords.

The "Varian Disaster" (Clades Variana) was a profound shock to the Roman Empire and to Augustus personally. It effectively halted Roman expansion east of the Rhine, forcing Augustus to accept the river as the empire's permanent northern frontier. The aged emperor was said to have been devastated, reportedly tearing his clothes and lamenting, "Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!"



Reference: https://cccrh.org/publications/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/publius-quinctilius-varus.pdf 

Issuer:  Hadrianvs
Denomination:  AR - Denarius
Mint: Roma
Minted Date:  89  AD

Observe:
Bare head of Hadrian right, "HADRIANVS AVG COS III PP"
Translated to: Hadrian, Augustus, Consul for the 3rd time, Father of the country. 

Reverse:
Hadrian stands left over tripod alter, "VOTA PVBLICA"

Commentary:
This coin issued under Hadrian holds a very clear message of what perception Hadrian wanted of himself. On the observe, Hadrian displays his image and titles. On the observe, the image depicts Hadrian pledging himself to serve the people of Rome. Hadrian was known as one of the five good Emperors. Unlike many of Hadrian's predecessors and successors, he took steps that would strengthen Rome's borders and sought to reform administration of local governments and provinces across Rome's vast empire.

Hadrian spent over half his reign traveling extensively throughout the provinces, inspecting troops, reforming administration, and directly addressing local issues. His most famous accomplishment is the construction of Hadrian's Wall across northern Britain (starting 122 AD), a major fortification to define and defend the boundary against unconquered tribes. Unlike Trajan, Hadrian abstained from expanding Rome's territories and instead focused on consolidating the gains made under Trajan and focusing on infrastructure developments that would help bolster the economic prosperity of the empire. 

References:
Ffc-1050, Craw-274/1, Cal-1196