Gordian III was the grandson of the elderly emperor Gordian I; who, through the complicated politics of the time, found himself at the age of thirteen in the position of Caesar to the joint emperors Balbinus and Pupienus. Though very young, Gordian proved he was a person to be reckoned with both in the political arena and in war. At the age of nineteen he died of wounds incurred while fighting the Persians. On this bronze coin we see the charming profile of the youthful ruler facing right and wearing a laurel wreath-- perfectly balanced within the simple elegance of the pendant.