A Review of Common Late Roman Coin Types

as commonly found in A.C.E. uncleaned coin lots

#1 - Falling Horseman

We offer four examples of the Falling Horseman type. In the upper left is a large, therefore earlier (late 340's) coin of Constantius II from the mint of Antioch.

DN (Dominus Noster = Our Lord) CONSTANTIVS PF (Pius Felix = Pious and Blessed) AVG (Augustus = Emperor)

FEL TEMP RE - PARATIO G AN E

The Emperor is shown wearing a diadem with two strands of pearls and a large central jewel. On the reverse the victim is bare headed, bearded and pigtailed suggesting he was intended to represent one of the Gothic tribes. He reaches back to fend off the blow of the spear. Specialists refer to this pose as 'FH3'. Those interested can see the various types on my FTR page. The reverse field shows a G (gamma = 3) which places this coin in that series. In exergue is the Antioch mintmark "AN" followed by the numeral (E=5) of the fifth workshop (officina). This coin shows a row of dots running down the leg of the barbarian which some people consider to be a rope attached to a stirrup. Interpretations of this matter vary but it is likely that the engraver of the die was familiar with riders using such a device even though it had not then been adopted by the Romans. Others consider this no more than a pants decoration. This is another opportunity for study by the next generation.

On the lower left we see another coin of Constantius II from Antioch but this one is a few years later (c. 354-355) and, therefore, considerably smaller. While size and workmanship has declined, the pose and tribe of the barbarian shown seem similar. Legends are similar except for spacing and the officina (workshop) letter following the AN city mark being Z (Greek numeral for 7). The obverse die on this example shows a rather long transverse crack suggesting that the mint was working so hard putting out huge numbers of coins that they did not retire a defective die until absolutely necessary.

On the lower right is a coin of similar date but from the mint at Nicomedia in the name of Constantius Gallus Caesar. As Caesar, Gallus was not shown wearing an Imperial diadem but is bare headed. The legends read:

DN (Dominus Noster = Our Lord) FL (Flavius) CL (Claudius) CONSTANTIVS NOB (noble) CAES (Caesar)

FEL TEMP REPARATIO SMN?

The irregular flan makes it impossible to read the workshop letter on this coin. This mint used 6 shops so we could expect any of the first six Greek numerals. Of my coins of this period, this example wins the prize for portrait with best mullet. The barbarian is still in the pose reaching to fend off the spear but he is clean shaven and his hair lacks the Gothic pigtails. His attire is interestingly ribbed or striped. I do not know what tribe he was intended to represent. Perhaps someone reading this page can research the period and determine who wore similar hair and clothing that might be known to a die cutter in Nicomedia. The short reign of Gallus saw considerable reductions in the size of the standard coin. This is nearing the end but they would soon be even smaller. As a footnote, we should note that some issues of Gallus included IVN (Junior) as part of the obverse legend. The title Gallus is a modern convention to tell him from Constantius II and is never seen on coins. It might seem that Constantius II would have been called IVN but he was named for his grandfather Constantius I who died before Constantius II was born. The use of Roman numerals to distinguish rulers with the same name is also a modern convention not seen on coins.

On the upper right is an example nearing the end. The portrait shows Julian II Caesar (Julian the Apostate) bareheaded. This might be a good time to mention the 'problem' with the name "Julian II". The obvious question is: "Who was Julian I?" People have been known to argue about this. Some support Didius Julianus who was Emperor for a very short time in 193 AD (which is a story you should read). Others promote Julian of Pannonia, a usurper against Carinus in 284 and 285 AD. Neither of these rulers are ever called Julian I. At some point historians decided to count one of them but not both making the Apostate II rather than III. Changing a convention of this sort is a difficult job so it is likely that historians will continue using Julian II even if it makes little sense. The reverse field bears a letter M (Roman numeral for 1000) which is believed to mean that 1000 of these little coins were valued at one gold solidus. This example is flatly struck with too little metal to fill the design of the die. We see a pigtailed Goth again but this one is slumped over grasping the neck of his horse. Those interested can see a few different barbarians on my FTR page. For this late issue, this example is about average condition (maybe better). Full legend, well struck coins of the M series are hard to find. This example is from the mint at Alexandria (ALE) followed by the workshop numeral D (delta=4). Were it present, the remaining reverse legend would be like the ones above. The legends read:

DN IVLIANVS NOB CAES

FEL TEMP REPARATIO ALED

This coin is the last of the Falling Horseman series. Inflation was nearing the worst time. Shortly after this coin was issued (c. 360) the coins became even smaller but the types were changed to what we will discuss as #4.

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