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Image search results - "another,"
Constantine_I_Alexandria.jpg
Constantine I. A.D. 307/10-337. ’ follis (17 mm, 2.78 g, 6 h). Alexandria, A.D. 333-335. CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantine I right / GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers standing facing, heads turned toward one another, each holding spear and resting hand on grounded shield; between, two standards; SMALA. RIC 58.paul1888
altar1s.jpg
Constantine the Great, RIC VII 73 Siscia, 319 CEObverse: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG, laureate helmet & cuirassed.
Reverse:VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP [ Joyous victory to the eternal
Prince] two Victories standing, facing one another, together holding shield
inscribed VOT PR [VOTA POPULI ROMANI (vows of the Roman people)]on altar.
gamma SIS dot in ex. RIC VII Siscia 73, 18.9 mm 2.6 g. rare
NORMAN K
00006x00~2.jpg
ROME
PB Tessera (20mm, 5.35 g, 12h)
Draped bust of Hercules left, wearing lion's skin and holding club over shoulder, with hair and beard in Antonine-Severan style
The Dioscuri standing facing one another, each holding spear and bridle of horse
Rostovtsev 2085; Rostovtsev & Prou 377

Rostovtsev suggests that the obverse may depict Caracalla. This interpretation is somewhat plausible, but unlikely, considering the additional object on the obverse, and the bare head of the figure.
Ardatirion
tranquilina.jpg
036b04. TranquillinaCius, Bithynia.
Bronze AE 23, RPC Online VII.2 1880; Rec Gén I.2 111, pl. LIII, 4; BMC Pontus p. 135, 46; SNG Cop 397; SNG Hunter 1069; SNG Verona 1352; 6.976g, 23.3mm, die axis 180o, May 241 - 25 Feb 244 A.D.; obverse CABEI TPANKYΛΛEINA, draped bust right, wearing stephane; reverse KIANΩN, two goats rearing facing one another, amphora between them. A FORUM coin.
1 commentslawrence c
cons1.jpg
083a03. Constantine IFollis. Siscia. 19mm, 3.08 g. Obv: CONSTANTINVS AVG.
Helmeted and cuirassed bust left, holding spear and shield.
Rev: VICT LAETAE PRINC PERP / BSIS*. Two Victories standing facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT / PR over altar between them.
RIC 95. Naumann Auction 97, Lot 579.
lawrence c
constantine.jpg
083a04. Constantine IAE follis. 18.1mm, 2.45 g. Antioch mint. Obv: CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two helmeted soldiers standing facing one another, with spears and shields and standards between. Mintmark SMANΓ.
Antioch. RIC VII 86,G. A FORUM coin.
lawrence c
constantine2.jpg
087a10. Constantine IIFollis. Arelate. Obv: CONSTANTINVS IVN N C. Laureate and cuirassed bust right. Rev: GLORIA EXERCITVS / P CONST. Two soldiers standing facing one another, each holding reversed spear and resting hand on shield set on ground; between them, standard with christogram. RIC 395 (R2). 2.19 g., 17 mm. Naumann Auc 113, Lot 845.
lawrence c
Cornelia51QuinVict.jpg
0aa Defeat of Hannibal on Sicily, 222 BCCn. Lentulus, moneyer
90-85 BC

Quinarius

Laureled head of Jupiter, right
Victory crowning trophy, CN LENT in ex

Seaby, Cornelia 51

Possibly a reference to this event: [Q. Fabius Maximus, afterwards called Cunctator] broke up his camp at Suessula and decided to begin by an attack on Arpi. . . . Now at last the enemy was roused; there was a lull in the storm and daylight was approaching. Hannibal's garrison in the city amounted to about 5000 men, and the citizens themselves had raised a force of 3000. These the Carthaginians put in front to meet the enemy, that there might be no attempt at treachery in their rear. The fighting began in the dark in the narrow streets, the Romans having occupied not only the streets near the gate but the houses also, that they might not be assailed from the roofs. Gradually as it grew light some of the citizen troops and some of the Romans recognised one another, and entered into conversation. The Roman soldiers asked what it was that the Arpinians wanted, what wrong had Rome done them, what good service had Carthage rendered them that they, Italians-bred and born, should fight against their old friends the Romans on behalf of foreigners and barbarians, and wish to make Italy a tributary province of Africa. The people of Arpi urged in their excuse that they knew nothing of what was going on, they had in fact been sold by their leaders to the Carthaginians, they had been victimised and enslaved by a small oligarchy. When a beginning had been once made the conversations became more and more general; at last the praetor of Arpi was conducted by his friends to the consul, and after they had given each other mutual assurances, surrounded by the troops under their standards, the citizens suddenly turned against the Carthaginians and fought for the Romans. A body of Spaniards also, numbering something less than a thousand, transferred their services to the consul upon the sole condition that the Carthaginian garrison should be allowed to depart uninjured. The gates were opened for them and they were dismissed, according to the stipulation, in perfect safety, and went to Hannibal at Salapia. Thus Arpi was restored to the Romans without the loss of a single life, except in the case of one man who had long ago been a traitor and had recently deserted. The Spaniards were ordered to receive double rations, and the republic availed itself on very many occasions of their courage and fidelity.

Livy, History of Rome, 24.46-47
Blindado
Aemilia10.jpg
0ac Conquest of MacedoniaPaullus Aemilius Lepidus, moneyer
109-100 BC

Denarius

Veiled head of Concord, right, PAVLLVS LEPIDVS CONCORDIA
TER above trophy, L. Aemelius Lepidus on right, Perseus and his two sons as prisoners on left, PAVLLVS in ex.

Seaby, Aemelia 10

L. Aemelius Paullus defeated the Macedonians in 168 BC and brought Perseus and his sons to Rome to adorn his triumph.

Three days after the battle Perseus arrived at Amphipolis, and from that city he sent heralds with a caduceus to Paulus. In the meanwhile Hippias, Midon, and Pantauchus, the principal men among the king's friends who had fled from the field of battle to Beroea, went and made their surrender to the Roman consul. In the case of others also, their fears prompted them, one after another, to do the same. The consul sent his son Q. Fabius, together with L. Lentulus and Q. Metellus, with despatches to Rome announcing his victory. He gave the spoils taken from the enemy's army lying on the field of battle to the foot soldiers and the plunder from the surrounding country to the cavalry on condition that they were not absent from the camp more than two nights. The camp at Pydna was shifted to a site nearer the sea. First of all Beroea, then Thessalonica and Pella, and almost the whole of Macedonia, city by city, surrendered within two days.

Livy, History of Rome, 44.45
Blindado
121f.jpg
121f Constantine I. AE follis 3.4gmobv: CONSTA_NTINVS AVG laur. helm. cuir. bust r.
rev: VICT.LAETAE PRINC PERP/ two victories std. facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT/PR, I in alter
ex: .BSIS.
hill132
136_Constantinus_I__Nicomedia_RIC_VII_188D,_AE-Follis,_CONSTANTI_NVS_MAX_AVG,_GLOR_IA_EXERC_ITVS,_SMND,_330-35_AD,_Q-001,_11h,_17,5m,_2,48gx-s.jpg
136 Constantinus I. (306-309 A.D. Caesar, 309-910 A.D. Filius Augustorum, 307-337 A.D. Augustus), Nicomedia, RIC VII 188Δ, AE-Follis, -/-//SMNΔ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with two standards, #1136 Constantinus I. (306-309 A.D. Caesar, 309-910 A.D. Filius Augustorum, 307-337 A.D. Augustus), Nicomedia, RIC VII 188Δ, AE-Follis, -/-//SMNΔ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with two standards, #1
avers: CONSTANTI NVS MAX AVG, Laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
reverse: GLOR IA EXERC ITVS, Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground, between the two standards.
exergue: -/-//SMNΔ, diameter: 17,5mm, weight: 2,48g, axis: 11h,
mint: Nicomedia, date: 330-335 A.D., ref: RIC VII 188Δ,
Q-001
1 commentsquadrans
Constantinus-I__AR-Argenteus_IMP-CONSTANTI-NVS-AVG_VICTORIA-LAETAE-PRINC-PERP-VOT_PR_PTR_RIC-not_C-not_Trier_318-319-AD__Q-001_19mm_2,73g-s.jpg
136 Constantinus I. (306-309 A.D. Caesar, 309-910 A.D. Filius Augustorum, 307-337 A.D. Augustus), Trier, RIC VII ???, AR-Argenteus, -/-//PTR, VICTORIA LAETAE PRINC PERP, Not in RIC !!!136 Constantinus I. (306-309 A.D. Caesar, 309-910 A.D. Filius Augustorum, 307-337 A.D. Augustus), Trier, RIC VII ???, AR-Argenteus, -/-//PTR, VICTORIA LAETAE PRINC PERP, Not in RIC !!!
avers:- IMP CONSTANTI NVS AVG, bust l., high-crested helmet, cuir., dr., spear across r. shoulder..
rever:- VICTORIA LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories stg. facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT/PR on altar. PTR in exergue.
"UNLISTED ISSUE. This issue is listed erroneously in RIC VII as regular follis (TRIER 208A, p. 181), but in fact it is "billon argenteus" (c. 25% of silver) and belongs to the group of TREVERI 825-826 in RIC VI. Note that only PTR mark is correct, because of only one officina working at that time at Treveri. Note also that the bust type is similar to H11 from RIC VII, but there are also a few differences: bust is usually larger, half-length, and could be described as cuirassed and draped. Coin should be listed after TREVERI 826. See: Bastien, P., "L’émission de monnaies de billon de Treves au début de 313", Quaderni Ticinesi (Numismatica e Antichità Classiche) 1982, XI, p. 271-278. See: CORRIGENDA, VOL. VII, p. 181, CORRIGENDA, VOL. VI, p. 224" by Lech Stepniewski, in "Not in RIC" , thank you Lech Stepniewski,
http://www.forumancientcoins.com/notinric/6tre-826.html
exergo: -/-//PTR, diameter: 19mm, weight: 2,73g, axis: h,
mint: Trier, date: 318-319 A.D., ref: RIC VI Trier 825-6?, RIC VI, "TREVERI [after 826], CONSTANTINE I, UNLISTED ISSUE" by Lech Stepniewski,
Q-001
quadrans
Julian2VotXConstantinople.jpg
1409a, Julian II "the Philosopher," February 360 - 26 June 363 A.D.Julian II, A.D. 360-363; RIC 167; VF; 2.7g, 20mm; Constantinople mint; Obverse: DN FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG, helmeted & cuirassed bust right, holding spear & shield; Reverse: VOT X MVLT XX in four lines within wreath; CONSPB in exergue; Attractive green patina. Ex Nemesis.


De Imperatoribus Romanis,
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors


Julian the Apostate (360-363 A.D.)


Walter E. Roberts, Emory University
Michael DiMaio, Jr., Salve Regina University

Introduction

The emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus reigned from 360 to 26 June 363, when he was killed fighting against the Persians. Despite his short rule, his emperorship was pivotal in the development of the history of the later Roman empire. This essay is not meant to be a comprehensive look at the various issues central to the reign of Julian and the history of the later empire. Rather, this short work is meant to be a brief history and introduction for the general reader. Julian was the last direct descendent of the Constantinian line to ascend to the purple, and it is one of history's great ironies that he was the last non-Christian emperor. As such, he has been vilified by most Christian sources, beginning with John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzus in the later fourth century. This tradition was picked up by the fifth century Eusebian continuators Sozomen, Socrates Scholasticus, and Theodoret and passed on to scholars down through the 20th century. Most contemporary sources, however, paint a much more balanced picture of Julian and his reign. The adoption of Christianity by emperors and society, while still a vital concern, was but one of several issues that concerned Julian.

It is fortunate that extensive writings from Julian himself exist, which help interpret his reign in the light of contemporary evidence. Still extant are some letters, several panegyrics, and a few satires. Other contemporary sources include the soldier Ammianus Marcellinus' history, correspondence between Julian and Libanius of Antioch, several panegyrics, laws from the Theodosian Code, inscriptions, and coinage. These sources show Julian's emphasis on restoration. He saw himself as the restorer of the traditional values of Roman society. Of course much of this was rhetoric, meant to defend Julian against charges that he was a usurper. At the same time this theme of restoration was central to all emperors of the fourth century. Julian thought that he was the one emperor who could regain what was viewed as the lost glory of the Roman empire. To achieve this goal he courted select groups of social elites to get across his message of restoration. This was the way that emperors functioned in the fourth century. By choosing whom to include in the sharing of power, they sought to shape society.

Early Life

Julian was born at Constantinople in 331. His father was Julius Constantius, half-brother of the emperor Constantine through Constantius Chlorus, and his mother was Basilina, Julius' second wife. Julian had two half-brothers via Julius' first marriage. One of these was Gallus, who played a major role in Julian's life. Julian appeared destined for a bright future via his father's connection to the Constantinian house. After many years of tense relations with his three half-brothers, Constantine seemed to have welcomed them into the fold of the imperial family. From 333 to 335, Constantine conferred a series of honors upon his three half-siblings, including appointing Julius Constantius as one of the consuls for 335. Julian's mother was equally distinguished. Ammianus related that she was from a noble family. This is supported by Libanius, who claimed that she was the daughter of Julius Julianus, a Praetorian Prefect under Licinius, who was such a model of administrative virtue that he was pardoned and honored by Constantine.

Despite the fact that his mother died shortly after giving birth to him, Julian experienced an idyllic early childhood. This ended when Constantius II conducted a purge of many of his relatives shortly after Constantine's death in 337, particularly targeting the families of Constantine's half-brothers. ulian and Gallus were spared, probably due to their young age. Julian was put under the care of Mardonius, a Scythian eunuch who had tutored his mother, in 339, and was raised in the Greek philosophical tradition, and probably lived in Nicomedia. Ammianus also supplied the fact that while in Nicomedia, Julian was cared for by the local bishop Eusebius, of whom the future emperor was a distant relation. Julian was educated by some of the most famous names in grammar and rhetoric in the Greek world at that time, including Nicocles and Hecebolius. In 344 Constantius II sent Julian and Gallus to Macellum in Cappadocia, where they remained for six years. In 351, Gallus was made Caesar by Constantius II and Julian was allowed to return to Nicomedia, where he studied under Aedesius, Eusebius, and Chrysanthius, all famed philosophers, and was exposed to the Neo-Platonism that would become such a prominent part of his life. But Julian was most proud of the time he spent studying under Maximus of Ephesus, a noted Neo-Platonic philospher and theurgist. It was Maximus who completed Julian's full-scale conversion to Neo-Platonism. Later, when he was Caesar, Julian told of how he put letters from this philosopher under his pillows so that he would continue to absorb wisdom while he slept, and while campaigning on the Rhine, he sent his speeches to Maximus for approval before letting others hear them. When Gallus was executed in 354 for treason by Constantius II, Julian was summoned to Italy and essentially kept under house arrest at Comum, near Milan, for seven months before Constantius' wife Eusebia convinced the emperor that Julian posed no threat. This allowed Julian to return to Greece and continue his life as a scholar where he studied under the Neo-Platonist Priscus. Julian's life of scholarly pursuit, however, ended abruptly when he was summoned to the imperial court and made Caesar by Constantius II on 6 November 355.

Julian as Caesar

Constantius II realized an essential truth of the empire that had been evident since the time of the Tetrarchy--the empire was too big to be ruled effectively by one man. Julian was pressed into service as Caesar, or subordinate emperor, because an imperial presence was needed in the west, in particular in the Gallic provinces. Julian, due to the emperor's earlier purges, was the only viable candidate of the imperial family left who could act as Caesar. Constantius enjoined Julian with the task of restoring order along the Rhine frontier. A few days after he was made Caesar, Julian was married to Constantius' sister Helena in order to cement the alliance between the two men. On 1 December 355, Julian journeyed north, and in Augusta Taurinorum he learned that Alamannic raiders had destroyed Colonia Agrippina. He then proceeded to Vienne where he spent the winter. At Vienne, he learned that Augustudunum was also under siege, but was being held by a veteran garrison. He made this his first priority, and arrived there on 24 June 356. When he had assured himself that the city was in no immediate danger, he journeyed to Augusta Treverorum via Autessioduram, and from there to Durocortorum where he rendezvoused with his army. Julian had the army stage a series of punitive strikes around the Dieuse region, and then he moved them towards the Argentoratum/Mongontiacum region when word of barbarian incursions reached him.

From there, Julian moved on to Colonia Agrippina, and negotiated a peace with the local barbarian leaders who had assaulted the city. He then wintered at Senonae. He spent the early part of the campaigning season of 357 fighting off besiegers at Senonae, and then conducting operations around Lugdunum and Tres Tabernae. Later that summer, he encountered his watershed moment as a military general. Ammianus went into great detail about Julian's victory over seven rogue Alamannic chieftains near Argentoratum, and Julian himself bragged about it in his later writing. After this battle, the soldiers acclaimed Julian Augustus, but he rejected this title. After mounting a series of follow-up raids into Alamannic territory, he retired to winter quarters at Lutetia, and on the way defeated some Frankish raiders in the Mosa region. Julian considered this campaign one of the major events of his time as Caesar.

Julian began his 358 military campaigns early, hoping to catch the barbarians by surprise. His first target was the Franks in the northern Rhine region. He then proceeded to restore some forts in the Mosa region, but his soldiers threatened to mutiny because they were on short rations and had not been paid their donative since Julian had become Caesar. After he soothed his soldiers, Julian spent the rest of the summer negotiating a peace with various Alamannic leaders in the mid and lower Rhine areas, and retired to winter quarters at Lutetia. In 359, he prepared once again to carry out a series of punitive expeditions against the Alamanni in the Rhine region who were still hostile to the Roman presence. In preparation, the Caesar repopulated seven previously destroyed cities and set them up as supply bases and staging areas. This was done with the help of the people with whom Julian had negotiated a peace the year before. Julian then had a detachment of lightly armed soldiers cross the Rhine near Mogontiacum and conduct a guerilla strike against several chieftains. As a result of these campaigns, Julian was able to negotiate a peace with all but a handful of the Alamannic leaders, and he retired to winter quarters at Lutetia.

Of course, Julian did more than act as a general during his time as Caesar. According to Ammianus, Julian was an able administrator who took steps to correct the injustices of Constantius' appointees. Ammianus related the story of how Julian prevented Florentius, the Praetorian Prefect of Gaul, from raising taxes, and also how Julian actually took over as governor for the province of Belgica Secunda. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, supported Ammianus' basic assessment of Julian in this regard when he reported that Julian was an able representative of the emperor to the Gallic provincials. There is also epigraphic evidence to support Julian's popularity amongst the provincial elites. An inscription found near Beneventum in Apulia reads:
"To Flavius Claudius Julianus, most noble and sanctified Caesar, from the caring Tocius Maximus, vir clarissimus, for the care of the res publica from Beneventum".

Tocius Maximus, as a vir clarissimus, was at the highest point in the social spectrum and was a leader in his local community. This inscription shows that Julian was successful in establishing a positive image amongst provincial elites while he was Caesar.

Julian Augustus

In early 360, Constantius, driven by jealousy of Julian's success, stripped Julian of many troops and officers, ostensibly because the emperor needed them for his upcoming campaign against the Persians. One of the legions ordered east, the Petulantes, did not want to leave Gaul because the majority of the soldiers in the unit were from this region. As a result they mutinied and hailed Julian as Augustus at Lutetia. Julian refused this acclamation as he had done at Argentoratum earlier, but the soldiers would have none of his denial. They raised him on a shield and adorned him with a neck chain, which had formerly been the possession of the standard-bearer of the Petulantes and symbolized a royal diadem. Julian appeared reluctantly to acquiesce to their wishes, and promised a generous donative. The exact date of his acclamation is unknown, but most scholars put it in February or March. Julian himself supported Ammianus' picture of a jealous Constantius. In his Letter to the Athenians, a document constructed to answer charges that he was a usurper, Julian stated that from the start he, as Caesar, had been meant as a figurehead to the soldiers and provincials. The real power he claimed lay with the generals and officials already present in Gaul. In fact, according to Julian, the generals were charged with watching him as much as the enemy. His account of the actual acclamation closely followed what Ammianus told us, but he stressed even more his reluctance to take power. Julian claimed that he did so only after praying to Zeus for guidance.

Fearing the reaction of Constantius, Julian sent a letter to his fellow emperor justifying the events at Lutetia and trying to arrange a peaceful solution. This letter berated Constantius for forcing the troops in Gaul into an untenable situation. Ammianus stated that Julian's letter blamed Constantius' decision to transfer Gallic legions east as the reason for the soldiers' rebellion. Julian once again asserted that he was an unwilling participant who was only following the desire of the soldiers. In both of these basic accounts Ammianus and Julian are playing upon the theme of restoration. Implicit in their version of Julian's acclamation is the argument that Constantius was unfit to rule. The soldiers were the vehicle of the gods' will. The Letter to the Athenians is full of references to the fact that Julian was assuming the mantle of Augustus at the instigation of the gods. Ammianus summed up this position nicely when he related the story of how, when Julian was agonizing over whether to accept the soldiers' acclamation, he had a dream in which he was visited by the Genius (guardian spirit) of the Roman state. The Genius told Julian that it had often tried to bestow high honors upon Julian but had been rebuffed. Now, the Genius went on to say, was Julian's final chance to take the power that was rightfully his. If the Caesar refused this chance, the Genius would depart forever, and both Julian and the state would rue Julian's rejection. Julian himself wrote a letter to his friend Maximus of Ephesus in November of 361 detailing his thoughts on his proclamation. In this letter, Julian stated that the soldiers proclaimed him Augustus against his will. Julian, however, defended his accession, saying that the gods willed it and that he had treated his enemies with clemency and justice. He went on to say that he led the troops in propitiating the traditional deities, because the gods commanded him to return to the traditional rites, and would reward him if he fulfilled this duty.

During 360 an uneasy peace simmered between the two emperors. Julian spent the 360 campaigning season continuing his efforts to restore order along the Rhine, while Constantius continued operations against the Persians. Julian wintered in Vienne, and celebrated his Quinquennalia. It was at this time that his wife Helena died, and he sent her remains to Rome for a proper burial at his family villa on the Via Nomentana where the body of her sister was entombed. The uneasy peace held through the summer of 361, but Julian concentrated his military operations around harassing the Alamannic chieftain Vadomarius and his allies, who had concluded a peace treaty with Constantius some years earlier. By the end of the summer, Julian decided to put an end to the waiting and gathered his army to march east against Constantius. The empire teetered on the brink of another civil war. Constantius had spent the summer negotiating with the Persians and making preparations for possible military action against his cousin. When he was assured that the Persians would not attack, he summoned his army and sallied forth to meet Julian. As the armies drew inexorably closer to one another, the empire was saved from another bloody civil war when Constantius died unexpectedly of natural causes on 3 November near the town of Mopsucrenae in Cilicia, naming Julian -- the sources say-- as his legitimate successor.

Julian was in Dacia when he learned of his cousin's death. He made his way through Thrace and came to Constantinople on 11 December 361 where Julian honored the emperor with the funeral rites appropriate for a man of his station. Julian immediately set about putting his supporters in positions of power and trimming the imperial bureaucracy, which had become extremely overstaffed during Constantius' reign. Cooks and barbers had increased during the late emperor's reign and Julian expelled them from his court. Ammianus gave a mixed assessment of how the new emperor handled the followers of Constantius. Traditionally, emperors were supposed to show clemency to the supporters of a defeated enemy. Julian, however, gave some men over to death to appease the army. Ammianus used the case of Ursulus, Constantius' comes sacrum largitionum, to illustrate his point. Ursulus had actually tried to acquire money for the Gallic troops when Julian had first been appointed Caesar, but he had also made a disparaging remark about the ineffectiveness of the army after the battle of Amida. The soldiers remembered this, and when Julian became sole Augustus, they demanded Ursulus' head. Julian obliged, much to the disapproval of Ammianus. This seems to be a case of Julian courting the favor of the military leadership, and is indicative of a pattern in which Julian courted the goodwill of various societal elites to legitimize his position as emperor.

Another case in point is the officials who made up the imperial bureaucracy. Many of them were subjected to trial and punishment. To achieve this goal, during the last weeks of December 361 Julian assembled a military tribunal at Chalcedon, empanelling six judges to try the cases. The president of the tribunal was Salutius, just promoted to the rank of Praetorian Prefect; the five other members were Mamertinus, the orator, and four general officers: Jovinus, Agilo, Nevitta, and Arbetio. Relative to the proceedings of the tribunal, Ammianus noted that the judges, " . . . oversaw the cases more vehemently than was right or fair, with the exception of a few . . .." Ammianus' account of Julian's attempt at reform of the imperial bureaucracy is supported by legal evidence from the Theodosian Code. A series of laws sent to Mamertinus, Julian's appointee as Praetorian Prefect in Italy, Illyricum, and Africa, illustrate this point nicely. On 6 June 362, Mamertinus received a law that prohibited provincial governors from bypassing the Vicars when giving their reports to the Prefect. Traditionally, Vicars were given civil authority over a group of provinces, and were in theory meant to serve as a middle step between governors and Prefects. This law suggests that the Vicars were being left out, at least in Illyricum. Julian issued another edict to Mamertinus on 22 February 362 to stop abuse of the public post by governors. According to this law, only Mamertinus could issue post warrants, but the Vicars were given twelve blank warrants to be used as they saw fit, and each governor was given two. Continuing the trend of bureaucratic reform, Julian also imposed penalties on governors who purposefully delayed appeals in court cases they had heard. The emperor also established a new official to weigh solidi used in official government transactions to combat coin clipping.

For Julian, reigning in the abuses of imperial bureaucrats was one step in restoring the prestige of the office of emperor. Because he could not affect all elements of society personally, Julian, like other Neo-Flavian emperors, decided to concentrate on select groups of societal elites as intercessors between himself and the general populace. One of these groups was the imperial bureaucracy. Julian made it very clear that imperial officials were intercessors in a very real sense in a letter to Alypius, Vicar of Britain. In this letter, sent from Gaul sometime before 361, the emperor praises Alypius for his use of "mildness and moderation with courage and force" in his rule of the provincials. Such virtues were characteristic of the emperors, and it was good that Alypius is representing Julian in this way. Julian courted the army because it put him in power. Another group he sought to include in his rule was the traditional Senatorial aristocracy. One of his first appointments as consul was Claudius Mamertinus, a Gallic Senator and rhetorician. Mamertinus' speech in praise of Julian delivered at Constantinople in January of 362 is preserved. In this speech, Claudius presented his consular selection as inaugurating a new golden age and Julian as the restorer of the empire founded by Augustus. The image Mamertinus gave of his own consulate inaugurating a new golden age is not merely formulaic. The comparison of Julian to Augustus has very real, if implicit, relevance to Claudius' situation. Claudius emphasized the imperial period as the true age of renewal. Augustus ushered in a new era with his formation of a partnership between the emperor and the Senate based upon a series of honors and offices bestowed upon the Senate in return for their role as intercessor between emperor and populace. It was this system that Julian was restoring, and the consulate was one concrete example of this bond. To be chosen as a consul by the emperor, who himself had been divinely mandated, was a divine honor. In addition to being named consul, Mamertinus went on to hold several offices under Julian, including the Prefecture of Italy, Illyricum, and Africa. Similarly, inscriptional evidence illustrates a link between municipal elites and Julian during his time as Caesar, something which continued after he became emperor. One concrete example comes from the municipal senate of Aceruntia in Apulia, which established a monument on which Julian is styled as "Repairer of the World."

Julian seems to have given up actual Christian belief before his acclamation as emperor and was a practitioner of more traditional Greco-Roman religious beliefs, in particular, a follower of certain late antique Platonist philosophers who were especially adept at theurgy as was noted earlier. In fact Julian himself spoke of his conversion to Neo-Platonism in a letter to the Alexandrians written in 363. He stated that he had abandoned Christianity when he was twenty years old and been an adherent of the traditional Greco-Roman deities for the twelve years prior to writing this letter.

(For the complete text of this article see: http://www.roman-emperors.org/julian.htm)

Julian’s Persian Campaign

The exact goals Julian had for his ill-fated Persian campaign were never clear. The Sassanid Persians, and before them the Parthians, had been a traditional enemy from the time of the Late Republic, and indeed Constantius had been conducting a war against them before Julian's accession forced the former to forge an uneasy peace. Julian, however, had no concrete reason to reopen hostilities in the east. Socrates Scholasticus attributed Julian's motives to imitation of Alexander the Great, but perhaps the real reason lay in his need to gather the support of the army. Despite his acclamation by the Gallic legions, relations between Julian and the top military officers was uneasy at best. A war against the Persians would have brought prestige and power both to Julian and the army.

Julian set out on his fateful campaign on 5 March 363. Using his trademark strategy of striking quickly and where least expected, he moved his army through Heirapolis and from there speedily across the Euphrates and into the province of Mesopotamia, where he stopped at the town of Batnae. His plan was to eventually return through Armenia and winter in Tarsus. Once in Mesopotamia, Julian was faced with the decision of whether to travel south through the province of Babylonia or cross the Tigris into Assyria, and he eventually decided to move south through Babylonia and turn west into Assyria at a later date. By 27 March, he had the bulk of his army across the Euphrates, and had also arranged a flotilla to guard his supply line along the mighty river. He then left his generals Procopius and Sebastianus to help Arsacius, the king of Armenia and a Roman client, to guard the northern Tigris line. It was also during this time that he received the surrender of many prominent local leaders who had nominally supported the Persians. These men supplied Julian with money and troops for further military action against their former masters. Julian decided to turn south into Babylonia and proceeded along the Euphrates, coming to the fortress of Cercusium at the junction of the Abora and Euphrates Rivers around the first of April, and from there he took his army west to a region called Zaitha near the abandoned town of Dura where they visited the tomb of the emperor Gordian which was in the area. On April 7 he set out from there into the heart of Babylonia and towards Assyria.

Ammianus then stated that Julian and his army crossed into Assyria, which on the face of things appears very confusing. Julian still seems to be operating within the province of Babylonia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The confusion is alleviated when one realizes that,for Ammianus, the region of Assyria encompassed the provinces of Babylonia and Assyria. On their march, Julian's forces took the fortress of Anatha, received the surrender and support of several more local princes, and ravaged the countryside of Assyria between the rivers. As the army continued south, they came across the fortresses Thilutha and Achaiachala, but these places were too well defended and Julian decided to leave them alone. Further south were the cities Diacira and Ozogardana, which the Roman forces sacked and burned. Soon, Julian came to Pirisabora and a brief siege ensued, but the city fell and was also looted and destroyed. It was also at this time that the Roman army met its first systematic resistance from the Persians. As the Romans penetrated further south and west, the local inhabitants began to flood their route. Nevertheless, the Roman forces pressed on and came to Maiozamalcha, a sizable city not far from Ctesiphon. After a short siege, this city too fell to Julian. Inexorably, Julian's forces zeroed in on Ctesiphon, but as they drew closer, the Persian resistance grew fiercer, with guerilla raids whittling at Julian's men and supplies. A sizable force of the army was lost and the emperor himself was almost killed taking a fort a few miles from the target city.
Finally, the army approached Ctesiphon following a canal that linked the Tigris and Euphrates. It soon became apparent after a few preliminary skirmishes that a protracted siege would be necessary to take this important city. Many of his generals, however, thought that pursuing this course of action would be foolish. Julian reluctantly agreed, but became enraged by this failure and ordered his fleet to be burned as he decided to march through the province of Assyria. Julian had planned for his army to live off the land, but the Persians employed a scorched-earth policy. When it became apparent that his army would perish (because his supplies were beginning to dwindle) from starvation and the heat if he continued his campaign, and also in the face of superior numbers of the enemy, Julian ordered a retreat on 16 June. As the Roman army retreated, they were constantly harassed by guerilla strikes. It was during one of these raids that Julian got caught up in the fighting and took a spear to his abdomen. Mortally wounded he was carried to his tent, where, after conferring with some of his officers, he died. The date was 26 June 363.

Conclusion

Thus an ignominious end for a man came about who had hoped to restore the glory of the Roman empire during his reign as emperor. Due to his intense hatred of Christianity, the opinion of posterity has not been kind to Julian. The contemporary opinion, however, was overall positive. The evidence shows that Julian was a complex ruler with a definite agenda to use traditional social institutions in order to revive what he saw as a collapsing empire. In the final assessment, he was not so different from any of the other emperors of the fourth century. He was a man grasping desperately to hang on to a Greco-Roman conception of leadership that was undergoing a subtle yet profound change.
Copyright (C) 2002, Walter E. Roberts and Michael DiMaio, Jr. Used by permission.

In reality, Julian worked to promote culture and philosophy in any manifestation. He tried to reduce taxes and the public debts of municipalities; he augmented administrative decentralisation; he promoted a campaign of austerity to reduce public expenditure (setting himself as the example). He reformed the postal service and eliminated the powerful secret police.
by Federico Morando; JULIAN II, The Apostate, See the Julian II Page on NumisWiki

Flavius Claudius Iulianus was born in 331 or maybe 332 A.D. in Constantinople. He ruled the Western Empire as Caesar from 355 to 360 and was hailed Augustus by his legions in Lutetia (Paris) in 360. Julian was a gifted administrator and military strategist. Famed as the last pagan emperor, his reinstatement of the pagan religion earned him the moniker "the Apostate." As evidenced by his brilliant writing, some of which has survived to the present day, the title "the Philosopher" may have been more appropriate. He died from wounds suffered during the Persian campaign of 363 A.D. Joseph Sermarini, FORVM.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.




2 commentsCleisthenes
Lugdunum_RIC_VII_074,_142_Crispus_AE-3-Follis_DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES-5b-B4_VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP_VOT-PR_2capts_p127_R3_319-20-AD_Q-001_18mm_2_59ga-s.jpg
142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 074, AE-3 Follis, -/-//two captives back, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R4!!!,142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 074, AE-3 Follis, -/-//two captives back, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R4!!!,
avers:- DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES, 5b,B4, Laurate, draped and curiassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP, Two victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT/PR over altar two captives back in exergo.
exergo: -/-//two captives back, diameter: 18mm, weight: 2,59g, axis:11h,
mint: Lugdunum, (Lyon), date: 319-320 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-74, p127, R4, altar mint: d,
Q-001
quadrans
Lugdunum_RIC_VII_075,_142_Crispus_AE-3-Follis_DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES-5b-B5_VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP_VOT-PR_2captives_p127_R4_319-320-AD_Q-001_0h_18mm_2_91ga-s.jpg
142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 075, AE-3 Follis, -/-//two captives back, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R4!!!,142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 075, AE-3 Follis, -/-//two captives back, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R4!!!,
avers:- DN-CRISPO-NOB-CAES, 5b,B5, Laurate, curiassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP, Two victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT/PR over altar two captives back in exergo.
exergo: -/-//two captives back, diameter: 18mm, weight: 2,91g, axis: 0h,
mint: Lugdunum, (Lyon), date: 319-320 AD., ref: RIC-VII-075, p-127, R4, altar mint: c,
Q-001
quadrans
Lugdunum_RIC_VII_086,_142_Crispus_AE-3-Follis_CRISPVS-NOB-CAES-_VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP_VOT-PR_P-2captives-L_-p-128_R5_320-AD_Q-001_7h_17-19mm_2,74g-s.jpg
142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 086, AE-3 Follis, -/-//P-two captives back-L, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R5 !!!,142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Lugdunum, RIC VII 086, AE-3 Follis, -/-//P-two captives back-L, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R5 !!!,
avers:- CRISPVS-NOB-CAES, 5b,B4, Laurate, draped and curiassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP, Two victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT/PR over altar two captives back in exergo and P-L.
exergo: -/-//P-two captives back-L, diameter: 17-19mm, weight: 2,74g, axis:7h,
mint: Lugdunum, (Lyon), date: 320 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-86, p-128, R5 !!!, altar mint: e,
Q-001
1 commentsquadrans
Ticinum_RIC_VII_093,_142_Crispus_AE-3-Follis_FL-IVL-CRISPVS-NOB-C-5-C3_VICTORIAE-LAETAE-PRINC-PERP_VOT-PR_C_PT_p-373_R3_319-AD_Q-001_h_mm_gx-s.jpg
142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Ticinum, RIC VII 093, AE-3 Follis, C//PT, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R3!!!, #1142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Ticinum, RIC VII 093, AE-3 Follis, C//PT, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R3!!!, #1
avers:- FL-IVL-CRISPVS-NOB-C,, 5,C3, Radiate, draped and curiassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP, Two victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT/PR over altar, C on altar.
exergo: C//PT, diameter: mm, weight: g, axis: h,
mint: Ticinum, date: 319 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-093, p-373, altar mint: C, R3!!!
Q-001
quadrans
Ticinum_RIC_VII_093,_142_Crispus_AE-3-Follis_FL-IVL-CRISPVS-NOB-C-5-C3_VICTORIAE-LAETAE-PRINC-PERP_VOT-PR_C_PT_p-373_R3_319-AD_Q-002_h_mm_gx-s.jpg
142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Ticinum, RIC VII 093, AE-3 Follis, C//PT, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R3!!!, #2142 Crispus (317-326 A.D.), Ticinum, RIC VII 093, AE-3 Follis, C//PT, VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP, Two victories facing one another, R3!!!, #2
avers:- FL-IVL-CRISPVS-NOB-C,, 5,C3, Radiate, draped and curiassed bust right.
revers:- VICTORIAE-LAET-PRINC-PERP, Two victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT/PR over altar, C on altar.
exergo: C//PT, diameter: mm, weight: g, axis: h,
mint: Ticinum, date: 319 A.D., ref: RIC-VII-093, p-373, altar mint: C, R3!!!
Q-002
quadrans
Constantinus-II__AE-3-Follis_CONSTANTINVS-IVN-NOB-C_GLOR-IA-EXERC-ITVS_SMKGamma_RIC-80_3rd-off_-(7-B4)_Cyzicus_331-4-AD_R5_Q-001_6h_17,5mm_3,05ga-s.jpg
145 Constantinus II. (316-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-340 A.D. Augustus), Cyzicus, RIC VII 080, AE-3 Follis, -/-//SMKΓ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with two standards, R5! #1145 Constantinus II. (316-337 A.D. Caesar, 337-340 A.D. Augustus), Cyzicus, RIC VII 080, AE-3 Follis, -/-//SMKΓ, GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two soldiers with two standards, R5! #1
avers: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
reverse: GLOR IA EXER CITVS, Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield set on the ground, between the two standards.
exergue: -/-//SMKΓ, diameter: 17,5mm, weight: 3,05g, axis: 6h,
mint: Cyzicus, date: 330-335 A.D.,
ref: RIC VII 080, p-655, R5!
Q-001
quadrans
JuliusCaesarDenVenus.jpg
1aa Julius Caesar60 BC (formation of the First Triumvirate)-44 BC (assassination)

Denarius
44 BC

Caesar's head, right, eight-pointed star behind. CAESAR IMP.
Venus standing left, holding victory and scepter. P SEPVLLIVS MACER.

RSC 41

Plutarch said of the first triumvirate: There is a law among the Romans, that whoever desires the honour of a triumph must stay without the city and expect his answer. And another, that those who stand for the consulship shall appear personally upon the place. Caesar was come home at the very time of choosing consuls, and being in a difficulty between these two opposite laws, sent to the senate to desire that, since he was obliged to be absent, he might sue for the consulship by his friends. Cato, being backed by the law, at first opposed his request; afterwards perceiving that Caesar had prevailed with a great part of the senate to comply with it, he made it his business to gain time, and went on wasting the whole day in speaking. Upon which Caesar thought fit to let the triumph fall, and pursued the consulship. Entering the town and coming forward immediately, he had recourse to a piece of state policy by which everybody was deceived but Cato. This was the reconciling of Crassus and Pompey, the two men who then were most powerful in Rome. There had been a quarrel between them, which he now succeeded in making up, and by this means strengthened himself by the united power of both, and so under the cover of an action which carried all the appearance of a piece of kindness and good-nature, caused what was in effect a revolution in the government. For it was not the quarrel between Pompey and Caesar, as most men imagine, which was the origin of the civil wars, but their union, their conspiring together at first to subvert the aristocracy, and so quarrelling afterwards between themselves.

Of Caesar's military leadership, Plutarch wrote: He was so much master of the good-will and hearty service of his soldiers that those who in other expeditions were but ordinary men displayed a courage past defeating or withstanding when they went upon any danger where Caesar's glory was concerned. . . . This love of honour and passion for distinction were inspired into them and cherished in them by Caesar himself, who, by his unsparing distribution of money and honours, showed them that he did not heap up wealth from the wars for his own luxury, or the gratifying his private pleasures, but that all he received was but a public fund laid by the reward and encouragement of valour, and that he looked upon all he gave to deserving soldiers as so much increase to his own riches. Added to this also, there was no danger to which he did not willingly expose himself, no labour from which he pleaded an exemption. His contempt of danger was not so much wondered at by his soldiers because they knew how much he coveted honour. But his enduring so much hardship, which he did to all appearance beyond his natural strength, very much astonished them. For he was a spare man, had a soft and white skin, was distempered in the head and subject to an epilepsy, which, it is said, first seized him at Corduba. But he did not make the weakness of his constitution a pretext for his ease, but rather used war as the best physic against his indispositions; whilst, by indefatigable journeys, coarse diet, frequent lodging in the field, and continual laborious exercise, he struggled with his diseases and fortified his body against all attacks. He slept generally in his chariots or litters, employing even his rest in pursuit of action. In the day he was thus carried to the forts, garrisons, and camps, one servant sitting with him, who used to write down what he dictated as he went, and a soldier attending behind him with his sword drawn.
2 commentsBlindado
GermanicusAsSC.jpg
1an GermanicusAdopted by Tiberius in 4 AD, died mysteriously in 19

As, struck by Caligula

Bare head, left, GERMANICVS CAESAR TI AVGVST F DIVI AVG N
C CAESAR AVG GERMANICVS PON M TR POT SC

RIC 57

Germanicus Julius Caesar (c16 BC-AD 19) was was born in Lugdunum, Gaul (modern Lyon). At birth he was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle. He received the agnomen Germanicus, in 9 BC, when it was posthumously awarded to his father in honour of his victories in Germania. Germanicus was the grandson-in-law and great-nephew of the Emperor Augustus, nephew and adoptive son of the Emperor Tiberius, father of the Emperor Caligula, brother of the Emperor Claudius, and the maternal grandfather of the Emperor Nero. He married his maternal second cousin Agrippina the Elder, a granddaughter of Augustus, between 5 and 1 BC. The couple had nine children. Two died very young; another, Gaius Julius Caesar, died in early childhood. The remaining six were: Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar, the Emperor Caligula, the Empress Agrippina the Younger, Julia Drusilla, and Julia Livilla.

According to Suetonius: Germanicus, who was the son of Drusus the Elder and Antonia the Younger, was adopted (in 4AD) by Germanicus’s paternal uncle, Tiberius. He served as quaestor (in7AD) five years before the legal age and became consul (in12AD) without holding the intermediate offices. On the death of Augustus (in AD14) he was appointed to command the army in Germany, where, his filial piety and determination vying for prominence, he held the legions to their oath, though they stubbornly opposed Tiberius’s succession, and wished him to take power for himself.

He followed this with victory in Germany, for which he celebrated a triumph (in 17 AD), and was chosen as consul for a second time (18 AD) though unable to take office as he was despatched to the East to restore order there. He defeated the forces of the King of Armenia, and reduced Cappadocia to provincial status, but then died at Antioch, at the age of only thirty-three (in AD 19), after a lingering illness, though there was also suspicion that he had been poisoned. For as well as the livid stains which covered his body, and the foam on his lips, the heart was found entire among the ashes after his cremation, its total resistance to flame being a characteristic of that organ, they say, when it is filled with poison.

All considered Germanicus exceptional in body and mind, to a quite outstanding degree. Remarkably brave and handsome; a master of Greek and Latin oratory and learning; singularly benevolent; he was possessed of a powerful desire and vast capacity for winning respect and inspiring affection.

His scrawny legs were less in keeping with the rest of his figure, but he gradually fleshed them out by assiduous exercise on horseback after meals. He often killed enemy warriors in hand-to-hand combat; still pleaded cases in the courts even after receiving his triumph; and left various Greek comedies behind amongst other fruits of his studies.

At home and abroad his manners were unassuming, such that he always entered free or allied towns without his lictors.

Whenever he passed the tombs of famous men, he always offered a sacrifice to their shades. And he was the first to initiate a personal search for the scattered remains of Varus’s fallen legionaries, and have them gathered together, so as to inter them in a single burial mound.

As for Germanicus, Tiberius appreciated him so little, that he dismissed his famous deeds as trivial, and his brilliant victories as ruinous to the Empire. He complained to the Senate when Germanicus left for Alexandria (AD19) without consulting him, on the occasion there of a terrible and swift-spreading famine. It was even believed that Tiberius arranged for his poisoning at the hands of Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, the Governor of Syria, and that Piso would have revealed the written instructions at his trial, had Tiberius not retrieved them during a private interview, before having Piso put to death. As a result, the words: ‘Give us back Germanicus!’ were posted on the walls, and shouted at night, all throughout Rome. The suspicion surrounding Germanicus’ death (19 AD) was deepened by Tiberius’s cruel treatment of Germanicus’s wife, Agrippina the Elder, and their children.
1 commentsBlindado
VespDenSalus.jpg
1aw Vespasian69-79

Denarius
Laureate head, right, IMP CAES VESP AVG CEN
Salus seated left with patera, SALVS AVG

RIC 513 (C2)

Suetonius wrote: The Flavians seized power, and the Empire, long troubled and adrift, afflicted by the usurpations and deaths of three emperors, at last achieved stability. True they were an obscure family, with no great names to boast of, yet one our country has no need to be ashamed of. . . . Vespasian was born in the Sabine country, in the little village of Falacrinae just beyond Reate (Rieti), on the 17th of November 9 AD in the consulship of Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus and Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, five years before the death of Augustus. He was raised by his paternal grandmother Tertulla on her estate at Cosa. . . .

Under Claudius, he was sent to Germany (in 41 AD) to command a legion, thanks to the influence of Narcissus. From there he was posted to Britain (in 43 AD), where partly under the leadership of Aulus Plautius and partly that of Claudius himself, he fought thirty times, subjugating two powerful tribes, more than twenty strongholds, and the offshore island of Vectis (the Isle of Wight). This earned him triumphal regalia, and a little later two priesthoods and the consulship (in 51 AD) which he held for the last two months of the year. . . . He won, by lot, the governorship of Africa (in 63 AD), ruling it soundly and with considerable dignity. . . .

An ancient and well-established belief became widespread in the East that the ruler of the world at this time would arise from Judaea. This prophecy as events proved referred to the future Emperor of Rome, but was taken by the Jews to apply to them. They rebelled, killed their governor, and routed the consular ruler of Syria also, when he arrived to restore order, capturing an Eagle. To crush the rebels needed a considerable force under an enterprising leader, who would nevertheless not abuse power. Vespasian was chosen, as a man of proven vigour, from whom little need be feared, since his name and origins were quite obscure. Two legions with eight divisions of cavalry and ten cohorts of auxiliaries were added to the army in Judaea, and Vespasian took his elder son, Titus, along as one of his lieutenants. . . .

Yet Vespasian made no move, though his follower were ready and eager, until he was roused to action by the fortuitous support of a group of soldiers unknown to him, and based elsewhere. Two thousand men, of the three legions in Moesia reinforcing Otho’s forces, despite hearing on the march that he had been defeated and had committed suicide, had continued on to Aquileia, and there taken advantage of the temporary chaos to plunder at will. Fearing that if they returned they would be held to account and punished, they decided to choose and appoint an emperor of their own, on the basis that they were every bit as worthy of doing so as the Spanish legions who had appointed Galba, or the Praetorian Guard which had elected Otho, or the German army which had chosen Vitellius. They went through the list of serving consular governors, rejecting them for one reason or another, until in the end they unanimously adopted Vespasian, who was recommended strongly by some members of the Third Legion, which had been transferred to Moesia from Syria immediately prior to Nero’s death. . . .

Vespasian, an unheralded and newly-forged emperor, as yet lacked even a modicum of prestige and divine majesty, but this too he acquired. . . . Returning to Rome (in 70 AD) attended by such auspices, having won great renown, and after a triumph awarded for the Jewish War, he added eight consulships (AD 70-72, 74-77, 79) to his former one, and assumed the censorship. He first considered it essential to strengthen the State, which was unstable and well nigh fatally weakened, and then to enhance its role further during his reign. . . .
2 commentsBlindado
PostumusAntVirtus.jpg
1de Postumus259-268

Antoninianus

Radiate, draped & cuirassed bust, right, IMP C POTVMVS PF AVG
Virtus standing right, holding spear & shield, VIRTVS AVG

RIC 93

Postumus rebelled against Gallienus and ruled Gaul, Spain, and Britain. Eutropius wrote: When affairs were in this desperate condition, and the Roman empire almost ruined, POSTUMUS, a man of very obscure birth, assumed the purple in Gaul, and held the government with such ability for ten years, that he recruited the provinces, which had been almost ruined, by his great energy and judgment; but he was killed in a mutiny of the army, because he would not deliver up Moguntiacum, which had rebelled against him, to be plundered by the soldiers, at the time when Lucius Aelianus was endeavouring to effect a change of government.

According to the Historia Augusta: This man, most valiant in war and most steadfast in peace, was so highly respected for his whole manner of life that he was even entrusted by Gallienus with the care of his son Saloninus (whom he had placed in command of Gaul), as the guardian of his life and conduct and his instructor in the duties of a ruler.- Nevertheless, as some writers assert though it does not accord with his character he afterwards broke faith and after slaying Saloninus seized the imperial power. As others, however, have related with greater truth, the Gauls themselves, hating Gallienus most bitterly and being unwilling to endure a boy as their emperor, hailed as their ruler the man who was holding the rule in trust for another, and despatching soldiers they slew the boy. When he was slain, Postumus was gladly accepted by the entire army and by all the Gauls, and for seven years he performed such exploits that he completely restored the provinces of Gaul. . . . Great, indeed, was the love felt for Postumus in the hearts of all the people of Gaul because he had thrust back all the German tribes and had restored the Roman Empire to its former security. But when he began to conduct himself with the greatest sternness, the Gauls, following their custom of always desiring a change of government, at the instigation of Lollianus put him to death.

Zonaras adds: Galienus, when he had learned of [his son's death], proceeded against Postumus, and, when he had engaged him, was initially beaten and then prevailed, with the result that Postumus fled. Then Auriolus was sent to chase him down. Though able to capture him, he was unwilling to pursue him for long, but, coming back, he said that he was unable to capture him. Thus Postumus, having escaped, next organized an army. Galienus again marched upon him and, after he had penned him in a certain city of Gaul, besieged the usurper. In the siege, the sovereign was struck in the back by an arrow and, having become ill as a result, broke off the siege.
Blindado
HonoriusAE3Emperors.jpg
1fa Honorius393-423

AE3

RIC 403

Pearl diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right, DN HONORIVS PF AVG
Two emperors standing facing, heads turned to one another, each holding spear and resting hand on shield, GLORIA ROMANORVM. Mintmark SMKA.

Zosimus wrote: [Theodosius] proceeded with his army to the war [against Eugenius], leaving behind him his son Arcadius, who had some time previously been made emperor. . . . Having done this, he took with him his younger son Honorius, quickly passed through the intermediate countries, and having exceded his expectations in crossing the Alps, arrived where the enemy was stationed. . . . The emperor Theodosius after these successes proceeded to Rome, where he declared his son Honorius emperor, and appointing Stilico to the command of his forces there, left him as guardian to his son. . . . The emperor Theodosius, having consigned Italy, Spain, Celtica, and Libya to his son Honorius, died of a disease on his journey towards Constantinople. . . .

THE whole empire being vested in Arcadius and Honorius, they indeed appeared by their title to possess the sovereign authority, although the universal administration of affairs was under Rufinus in the east, and under Stilico in the west. By these all causes were determined, at their own pleasure; for whoever bribed plentifully, or by any other means of friendship or consanguinity could make the judge his advocate, was sure to succeed in the process. From hence it happened that most of those great estates, which cause the possessors to be generally esteemed fortunate, devolved to these two; since some endeavoured by gifts to avoid false accusations, and others relinquished all their possessions to obtain an office, or in any other manner to purchase the ruin of particular cities. While iniquity of every kind presided, therefore, in the respective cities, the money from all quarters flowed into the coffers of Rufinus and Stilico ; while on the reverse, poverty preyed on the habitations of those who had formerly been rich. Nor were the emperors acquainted with anything that was done, but thought all that Rufinus and Stilico commanded was done by virtue of some unwritten law. . . .

After the autumn was terminated, and winter had commenced, Bassus and Philippus being chosen consuls, the emperor Honorius, who had long before lost his wife Maria, desired to marry her sister Thermantia. But Stilico appeared not to approve of the match, although it was promoted by Serena, who wished it to take place from these motives. When Maria was about to be married to Honorius, her mother, deeming her too young for the marriage-state and being unwilling to defer the marriage, although she thought that to submit so young and tender a person to the embraces of a man was offering violence to nature, she had recourse to a woman who knew how to manage such affairs, and by her means contrived that Maria should live with the emperor and share his bed, but that he should not have the power to deprive her of virginity. In the meantime Maria died a virgin, and Serena, who, as may readily be supposed, was desirous to become the grandmother of a young emperor or empress, through fear of her influence being diminished, used all her endeavours to marry her other daughter to Honorius. This being accomplished, the young lady shortly afterwards died in the same manner as the former. . . . .

For Stilico was desirous of proceeding to the east to undertake the management of the affairs of Theodosius, the son of Arcadius, who was very young, and in want of a guardian. Honorius himself was also inclined to undertake the same journey, with a design to secure the dominions of that emperor. But Stilico, being displeased at that, and laying before the emperor a calculation of the immense sum of money it would require to defray the expence of such an expedition, deterred him from the enterprise. . . .

In the mean time, the emperor Honorius commanded his wife Thermantia to be taken from the imperial throne, and to be restored to her mother, who notwithstanding was without suspicion. . . . Alaric began his expedition against Rome, and ridiculed the preparations made by Honorius. . . . The emperor Honorius was now entering on the consulship, having enjoyed that honour eight times, and the emperor Theodosius in the east three times. At this juncture the rebel Constantine sent some eunches to Honorius, to intreat pardon from him for having accepted of the empire. When the emperor heard this petition, perceiving that it was not easy for him, since Alaric and his barbarians were so near, to prepare for other wars ; and consulting the safety of his relations who were in the hands of the rebel, whose names were Verenianus and Didymius; he not only granted his request, but likewise sent him an imperial robe. . . .

Note: No ancient source reports the sack of Rome by the Goths in 410, they having besieged the city three times, all while Honorius huddled in a besieged Ravenna. Honorius retained his nominal capacity until he died in 423.
Blindado
ConVIIAnt86.jpg
307-337 AD - Constantine I - RIC VII Antioch 086 - GLORIA EXERCITVSEmperor: Constantine I (r. 307-337 AD)
Date: 330-335 AD
Condition: Very Fine
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG
Bust right; rosette-diadem, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Two soldiers, helmeted, standing looking at one another, reversed spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground; between them, one standard.
Exergue: SMAN; (Antioch mint, third officina)

RIC VII Antioch 86; VM 94
1.35g; 15.1mm; 135°
Pep
ConVIICyz109var.jpg
307-337 AD - Constantine I - RIC VII Cyzicus 109 var - GLORIA EXERCITVSEmperor: Constantine I (r. 307-337 AD)
Date: 335-336 AD
Condition: Fine
Size: AE3

Obverse: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG
Bust right; plain-diadem (likely), draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield set on ground; between them, two standards.
Exergue: *SMKE (Cyzicus mint, fifth officina)

RIC VII Cyzicus 109 var; VM 93
2.66g; 17.5mm; 180°
Pep
ConVIISis47.jpg
307-337 AD - Constantine I - RIC VII Siscia 047 - VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERPEmperor: Constantine I (r. 307-337 AD)
Date: 318 AD
Condition: VF
Denomination: AE3

Obverse: IMP CONSTANTINVS PF AVG
Imperator Constantine Dutiful and Wise Emperor
Bust right; laureate helmet, cuirassed

Reverse: VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
Joyful victories of the long-lived princes.
Two standing Victories facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT/PR on altar.
Exergue: ΔSIS* (Siscia mint, fourth officina)

RIC VII Siscia 47; VM 90
2.79g; 19.6mm; 225°
Pep
ConVIISis59.jpg
ConVIISis219.jpg
307-337 AD - Constantine I - RIC VII Siscia 219 - GLORIA EXERCITVSEmperor: Constantine I (r. 307-337 AD)
Date: 330-333 AD
Condition: aVF
Size: AE3

Obverse: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG
Supreme Emperor Constantine
Bust right; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers standing facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground; between them two standards.
Exergue: ?SIS (Siscia mint, unknown officina)

RIC VII Siscia 219; VM 93
2.18g; 19.0mm; 180°
Pep
ConVIIThes222.jpg
307-337 AD - Constantine I - RIC VII Thessalonica 222 - GLORIA EXERCITVSEmperor: Constantine I (r. 307-337 AD)
Date: 336-337 AD
Condition: Very Fine
Size: AE3

Obverse: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG
Bust right; rosette-diadem, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLORI-A EXER-CITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers, helmeted, standing looking at one another, reversed spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground; between them, one standard.
Exergue: SMTSA (Thessalonica mint, first officina)

RIC VII Thessalonica 222; VM 94
1.49g; 17.3mm; 165°
Pep
coin247.JPG
309. GallienusOne of the key characteristics of the Crisis of the Third Century was the inability of the Emperors to maintain their hold on the Imperium for any marked length of time. An exception to this rule was the reign of the Emperor Gallienus. The fact that Gallienus served as junior Emperor with his father, Valerian, from 253 to 260 may have had something to do with his successes. Father and son each wielded his authority over a smaller area, thus allowing for more flexible control and imperial presence. Another, more probable reason, lay in Gallienus's success in convincing Rome that he was the best man for the job. However, Gallienus had to handle many rebellions of the so-called "Gallienus usurpers".

In 260, Valerian was taken prisoner by Sapor, King of Persia while trying to negotiate a peace settlement. Although aware that his father had been taken alive (the only Emperor to have suffered this fate), Gallienus did not make public Valerian's death until a year later. His decision hinged on the fact that Romans believed that their fate rose and fell with the fate of the Emperor, which in turn depended upon his demonstrating the proper amount of piety (Latin pietas) to the gods and maintaining their favor. A defeated Emperor would surely have meant that the gods had forsaken Valerian and, by extension, Gallienus.

Gallienus's chief method of reinforcing his position is seen in the coinage produced during his reign (see Roman currency). The coinage provides clear evidence of a successful propaganda campaign. Gallienus took pains to make sure that he was regularly represented as victorious, merciful, and pious. The people who used these coins on a daily basis saw these messages and, with little evidence to the contrary, remained supportive of their Emperor.

There were, however, those who knew better. During Gallienus' reign, there was constant fighting on the western fringes of the Empire. As early as 258, Gallienus had lost control over a large part of Gaul, where another general, Postumus, had declared his own realm (typically known today as the Gallic Empire). As Gallienus' influence waned, another general came to the fore. In time-honored tradition, Claudius II Gothicus gained the loyalty of the army and succeeded Gallienus to the Imperium.

In the months leading up to his mysterious death in September of 268, Gallienus was ironically orchestrating the greatest achievements of his reign. An invasion of Goths into the province of Pannonia was leading to disaster and even threatening Rome, while at the same time, the Alamanni were raising havoc in the northern part of Italy. Gallienus halted the Allamanic progress by defeating them in battle in April of 268, then turned north and won several victories over the Goths. That fall, he turned on the Goths once again, and in September, either he or Claudius, his leading general, led the Roman army to victory (although the cavalry commander Aurelian was the real victor) at the Battle of Naissus.

At some time following this battle, Gallienus was murdered during the siege of usurper Aureolus in Mediolanum; many theories abound that Claudius and Aurelian conspired to have the emperor killed. Be that as it may, Claudius spared the lives of Gallienus' family — Gallienus' wife, Iulia Cornelia Salonina, had given him three sons: Valerianus (who died in 258), Saloninus (died in 260 after becoming co-emperor), and Egnatius Marinianus — and had the emperor deified.

Gallienus Antoninianus - Minerva
OBVERSE: GALLIENVS AVG, radiate, cuirassed bust right
REVERSE: MINERVA AVG, Minerva standing right with spear and shield.
23mm - 3.7 grams
ecoli
ConIIVIIConst138.jpg
316-337 AD - Constantine II as Caesar - RIC VII Constantinople 138 - GLORIA EXERCITVSCaesar: Constantine II (Caes. 316-337 AD)
Date: 336-337 AD
Condition: Fair/Fine
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C
Constantine Junior Noble Caesar
Bust right; laureate and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers standing and facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground, one standard between them.
Exergue: CONS? (Constantinople mint, unknown officina)

RIC VII Constantinople 138; VM 46
1.13g; 15.8mm; 15°
Pep
ConIIVIISis220_2.jpg
316-337 AD - Constantine II as Caesar - RIC VII Siscia 220 - GLORIA EXERCITVS - 2nd ExampleCaesar: Constantine II (Caes. 316-337 AD)
Date: 330-333 AD
Condition: Fine
Size: AE3

Obverse: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C
Constantine Junior Noble Caesar
Bust right; laureate and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers standing and facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground, two standards between them.
Exergue: ESIS (Siscia mint, fifth officina)

RIC VII Siscia 220; VM 45
1.77g; 18.6mm; 195°
Pep
CsIIVIIHera153.jpg
324-337 AD - Constantius II as Caesar - RIC VII Heraclea 153 - GLORIA EXERCITVSCaesar: Constantius II (Caes. 324-337 AD)
Date: 336-337 AD
Condition: Fine/Fair
Size: AE4

Obverse: FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C
Flavius Julius Constantius Noble Caesar
Bust right; laureate, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers standing and facing one another, spear in outer hand, inner hand on shield resting on ground, one standard between them.
Exergue: SMHΓ (Heraclea mint, third officina)

RIC VII Heraclea 153; VM 73
1.07g; 15.6mm; 345°
Pep
CsIIVIINico191.jpg
324-337 AD - Constantius II as Caesar - RIC VII Nicomedia 191 - GLORIA EXERCITVSCaesar: Constantius II (Caes. 324-337 AD)
Date: 330-335 AD
Condition: VF
Size: AE3

Obverse: FL IVL CONSTANTIVS NOB C
Flavius Julius Constantius Noble Caesar
Bust right; laureate, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS
Glory of the Army.
Two soldiers, helmeted, standing looking at one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shield resting on ground; between them, two standards.
Exergue: SMNE (Nicomedia mint, fifth officina)

RIC VII Nicomedia 191; VM 72
2.42g; 17.9mm; 0°
Pep
CtVIISis238.jpg
CtVIIISis183.jpg
337-350 AD - Constans - RIC VIII Siscia 183 - VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NNEmperor: Constans (r. 337-350 AD)
Date: 347-348 AD
Condition: aVF
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTAN-S P F AVG
Constans Dutiful and Wise Emperor
Bust right; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN
The victories of our Lords and Emperors.
Two Victories standing facing one another, each holding wreath and palm.
Exergue: ASIS (Siscia mint, first officina)

RIC VIII Siscia 183; VM 57
1.49g; 15.5mm; 180°
Pep
CtVIIISis192.jpg
337-350 AD - Constans - RIC VIII Siscia 192 - VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NNEmperor: Constans (r. 337-350 AD)
Date: 347-348 AD
Condition: Fine
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTAN-S P F AVG
Constans Dutiful and Wise Emperor
Bust right; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN
The victories of our Lords and Emperors.
Two Victories standing facing one another, each holding wreath and palm.
"" in center field.
Exergue: ΓSIS (Siscia mint, third officina)

RIC VIII Siscia 192; VM 57
1.41g; 16.5mm; 15°
Pep
CsIIVIIISis194.jpg
337-361 AD - Constantius II - RIC VIII Siscia 194 - VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NNEmperor: Constantius II (r. 337-361 AD)
Date: 347-348 AD
Condition: Fine
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTANTI-VS P F AVG
Constantius Dutiful and Wise Emperor
Bust right; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN
Two Victories standing facing one another, each holding wreath and palm.
in center field
Exergue: ?SIS (Siscia mint, unknown officina)

RIC VIII Siscia 194; VM 81
1.56g; 16.2mm; 30°
Pep
CsIIVIIIThes99_2.jpg
337-361 AD - Constantius II - RIC VIII Thessalonica 99 - VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN - 2nd ExampleEmperor: Constantius II (r. 337-361 AD)
Date: 347-348 AD
Condition: Fair
Size: AE4

Obverse: CONSTANTI-VS P F AVG
Constantius Dutiful and Wise Emperor
Bust right; laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed

Reverse: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN
The victories of our Lords and Emperors.
Two Victories facing one another, each holding a wreath and a palm branch.
Exergue: SMTS? (Thessalonica mint, unknown officina)

RIC VIII Thessalonica 99; VM 81
1.93g; 16.9mm; 345°
Pep
coin223.JPG
406a. Galeria ValeriaGaleria Valeria was Diocletian's daughter and, to cement the alliance between Diocletian and Galerius, Valeria was married to Galerius. It appears that this was not a very happy marriage. Galeria Valeria was sympathetic towards Christians during this time of severe persecution and it is possible that she was actually a Christian herself. The imperial couple were not blessed with any children during their eighteen year marriage. After Galerius died in A. D. 311, Galeria Valeria and her mother went to live at the court of Maximinus Daia, the caesar who became emperor of the East upon the death of Galerius.

Maximinus proposed marriage to Valeria soon afterward. He was probably more interested in her wealth and the prestige he would gain by marrying the widow of one emperor and the daughter of another than he was in Valeria as a person. She refused his hand, and immediately Maximinus reacted with hatred and fury. Diocletian, by now an old man living in a seaside villa on the Dalmatian coast, begged Maximinus to allow the two women to come home to him. Maximinus refused and had Valeria and her mother banished to live in a village in Syria.

During the civil war that erupted between Maximinus and Licinius, Valeria and Prisca disguised themselves and escaped, trying to reach the safety of Diocletian's villa. In the meantime, Diocletian had died, leaving the women without a haven of safety to which to run. For fifteen months the two royal fugitives traveled from one city to another, always living in fear of being discovered and in search of a little peace.

Finally, they were recognized by someone in the Greek city of Salonika. They were hastily taken to a square in the city and beheaded before a crowd of citizens who had once revered them as empresses. The bodies of Valeria and her mother were afterwards thrown into the sea.

Galeria Valeria Follis. AD 308-311. GAL VAL-ERIA AVG, Diademed & draped bust right / VENERI V-ICTRICI, Venus standing left, holding apple & scepter, * to left, G to right, (dot)SM(dot)TS(dot) in ex.
ecoli
art.jpg
Anatolia and Al-Jazirah (Post-Seljuk). Artuqids (Mardin). Najm al-Din Alpi AD 1152-1176. (AH 547-572).Two diademed male heads facing slightly away from one another, in margins, Kalima above and below, name of Abbasid caliph to right and left / Female head facing, name and pedigree of Najm al-Din Alpi around.
Struck AH 560-566 (AD 1164-1170)
Dirhem AE31.
ancientone
leBon.jpg
Auxonne in France, 1424-1427 AD., Duchy of Burgundy, Philippe le Bon, Blanc aux écus, Poey d'Avant # 5735.France, Duchy of Burgundy, Auxonne mint (?), Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon, 1419-1467), struck 1424-1427 AD.,
AR blanc aux écus (26-28 mm / 3,27 g),
Obv.: + DVX : ET : COMES : BVRGVDIE , Ecus accolés de Bourgogne nouveau et Bourgogne ancien sous PhILIPVS.
Rev.: + SIT : NOMEN : DNI : BENEDICTVM , Croix longue entre un lis et un lion, au-dessus de PhILIPVS.
B., 1230 ; Dumas, 15-7-1 ; Poey d'Avant # 5735.

"PotatorII": "This coin is atributed to Auxonne mint because of the presence of a "secret dot" under the first letter (S) on reverse."

Rare

Imitation du blanc aux écus d'Henri VI d'Angleterre, frappé en France à partir de novembre 1422.

Philip the Good (French: Philippe le Bon), also Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (July 31, 1396 – June 15, 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty (the then Royal family of France). During his reign Burgundy reached the height of its prosperity and prestige and became a leading center of the arts. Philip is known in history for his administrative reforms, patronage of Flemish artists such as Jan van Eyck, and the capture of Joan of Arc. During his reign he alternated between English and French alliances in an attempt to improve his dynasty's position.
Born in Dijon, he was the son of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria-Straubing. On the 28 January 1405, he was named Count of Charolais in appanage of his father and probably on the same day he was engaged to Michele of Valois (1395–1422), daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria. They were married in June of 1409.
Philip subsequently married Bonne of Artois (1393–1425), daughter of Philip of Artois, Count of Eu, and also the widow of his uncle, Philip II, Count of Nevers, in Moulins-les-Engelbert on November 30, 1424. The latter is sometimes confused with Philip's biological aunt, also named Bonne (sister of John the Fearless, lived 1379 - 1399), in part due to the Papal Dispensation required for the marriage which made no distinction between a marital aunt and a biological aunt.
His third marriage, in Bruges on January 7, 1430 with Isabella of Portugal (1397 - December 17, 1471), daughter of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, produced three sons:
* Antoine (September 30, 1430, Brussels – February 5, 1432, Brussels), Count of Charolais
* Joseph (April 24, 1432 – aft. May 6, 1432), Count of Charolais
* Charles (1433–1477), Count of Charolais and Philip's successor as Duke, called "Charles the Bold" or "Charles the Rash"
Philip also had some eighteen illegitimate children, including Antoine, bastard of Burgundy, by twenty four documented mistresses [1]. Another, Philip of Burgundy (1464-1524), bishop of Utrecht, was a fine amateur artist, and the subject of a biography in 1529.
Philip became duke of Burgundy, count of Flanders, Artois and Franche Comté when his father was assassinated in 1419. Philip accused Charles, the Dauphin of France and Philip's brother-in-law of planning the murder of his father which had taken place during a meeting between the two at Montereau, and so he continued to prosecute the civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs. In 1420 Philip allied himself with Henry V of England under the Treaty of Troyes. In 1423 the alliance was strengthened by the marriage of his sister Anne to John, Duke of Bedford, regent for Henry VI of England.
In 1430 Philip's troops captured Joan of Arc at Compiègne and later handed her over to the English who orchestrated a heresy trial against her, conducted by pro-Burgundian clerics. Despite this action against Joan of Arc, Philip's alliance with England was broken in 1435 when Philip signed the Treaty of Arras (which completely revoked the Treaty of Troyes) and thus recognised Charles VII as king of France. Philip signed for a variety of reasons, one of which may have been a desire to be recognised as the Premier Duke in France. Philip then attacked Calais, but this alliance with Charles was broken in 1439, with Philip supporting the revolt of the French nobles the following year (an event known as the Praguerie) and sheltering the Dauphin Louis.
Philip generally was preoccupied with matters in his own territories and seldom was directly involved in the Hundred Years' War, although he did play a role during a number of periods such as the campaign against Compiegne during which his troops captured Joan of Arc. He incorporated Namur into Burgundian territory in 1429 (March 1, by purchase from John III, Marquis of Namur), Hainault and Holland, Frisia and Zealand in 1432 (with the defeat of Countess Jacqueline in the last episode of the Hook and Cod wars); inherited the duchy of Brabant and Limburg and the margrave of Antwerp in 1430 (on the death of his cousin Philip of Saint-Pol); and purchased Luxembourg in 1443 from Elisabeth of Bohemia, Duchess of Luxembourg. Philip also managed to ensure his illegitimate son, David, was elected Bishop of Utrecht in 1456. It is not surprising that in 1435, Philip began to style himself "Grand Duke of the West". In 1463 Philip returned some of his territory to Louis XI. That year he also created an Estates-General based on the French model. The first meeting of the Estates-General was to obtain a loan for a war against France and to ensure support for the succession of his son, Charles I, to his dominions. Philip died in Bruges in 1467.

my ancient coin database
1 commentsArminius
p_059.JPG
Barbarous, Constantine rev. Two helmeted soldiers standing facing one another, with spears and shields & standard between1 commentsRandygeki(h2)
Sear-396.jpg
Byzantine Empire: Justin II (565-578) Æ Half Follis, Carthage (Sear-396; DOC I-203; MIBE-77)Obv: Justin and Sophia seated facing; cross between, [VITA] in exergue
Rev: Two Victories standing facing one another, holding round shield between; cross above, K/NM below
Quant.Geek
Caracalla_sestertius-removebg-preview.png
Caracalla (Augustus) Coin: Brass SestertiusM AVREL ANTON INVS PIVS AVG - Laureate head of right
PONTIF TR P XIII COS III - Caracalla and Geta standing facing one another, sacrificing over altar, veiled Concordia standing in background.
Exergue: SC


Mint: Rome (210 AD)
Wt./Size/Axis: 22.89g / 32.71mm / 180
Rarity: Very Rare
References:
RIC452b
Banti 91
Provenances:
Marc Breitsprecher
Acquisition/Sale: Ancient Imports Internet $0.00 8/17
Notes: Jun 13, 18 - The Gary R. Wilson Collection
GRWilson
chalkis~0.jpg
Chalkis. Ptolemaios, tetrarch. 85-40 B.C. Æ18, Zeus/ DioskouroiSYRIA, Coele-Syria. Chalkis. Ptolemaios, tetrarch. 85-40 B.C. Æ 18mm. Laureate head of Zeus right / The Dioskouroi standing facing one another, each holding a spear. VF, green and brown patina. Scarce. Ex Vauctions Podiceps
sb1825classc.jpg
Class C follis, sb1825, attributed to Michael IV, 1034-1041 CEObverse: EMMANOVHA - Three -quarter length of Christ Antiphonetes standing facing, wearing nimbus cr. pallium and colobium, raising rt hand in benediction in L. hand book of Gospels, in field to L., IC barred, to r., XC barred.
Reverse: IC-XC/ NI-KA - Jewelled cross with pellet at each end divides inscription into four equal parts, IC--XC/NI--KA
Mint: Contantinople
Date: 1034-1041 CE
25mm, 6.06g
SB 1825 Class C follis



The Obverse is Christ as Antiphonetes, "the guarantor." A famous icon of Christ was so named because, according to a miracle story, it had been held as loan collateral by a creditor. The Byzantine empress Zoë (r. 1028–50) had coins struck with the Antiphonetes image and kept an icon of the type close at hand. "I myself have often seen her, in moments of great distress, clasp the sacred object in her hands, contemplate it, talk to it as if it were indeed alive, and address it with one sweet term of endearment after another," wrote court historian Michael Psellos (1018–ca. 1081).

Source: Icon with Christ Antiphonetes [Byzantine] (1979.217) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
wileyc
sb1825classc26mm1017g.jpg
Class C follis, sb1825, attributed to Michael IV, 1034-1041 CEObverse: EMMANOVHA - Three -quarter length of Christ Antiphonetes standing facing, wearing nimbus cr. pallium and colobium, raising rt hand in benediction in L. hand book of Gospels, in field to L., IC barred, to r., XC barred.
Reverse: IC-XC/ NI-KA - Jewelled cross with pellet at each end divides inscription into four equal parts, IC--XC/NI--KA
Mint: Contantinople
Date: 1034-1041 CE
26mm, 10.17g
SB 1825 Class C follis



The Obverse is Christ as Antiphonetes, "the guarantor." A famous icon of Christ was so named because, according to a miracle story, it had been held as loan collateral by a creditor. The Byzantine empress Zoë (r. 1028–50) had coins struck with the Antiphonetes image and kept an icon of the type close at hand. "I myself have often seen her, in moments of great distress, clasp the sacred object in her hands, contemplate it, talk to it as if it were indeed alive, and address it with one sweet term of endearment after another," wrote court historian Michael Psellos (1018–ca. 1081).

Source: Icon with Christ Antiphonetes [Byzantine] (1979.217) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
wileyc
sb1825classC23mm473g.jpg
Class C follis, sb1825, attributed to Michael IV, 1034-1041 CEObverse: EMMANOVHA - Three -quarter length of Christ Antiphonetes standing facing, wearing nimbus cr. pallium and colobium, raising rt hand in benediction in L. hand book of Gospels, in field to L., IC barred, to r., XC barred.
Reverse: IC-XC/ NI-KA - Jewelled cross with pellet at each end divides inscription into four equal parts, IC--XC/NI--KA
Mint: Contantinople
Date: 1034-1041 CE
23mm, 4.73g
SB 1825 Class C follis



The Obverse is Christ as Antiphonetes, "the guarantor." A famous icon of Christ was so named because, according to a miracle story, it had been held as loan collateral by a creditor. The Byzantine empress Zoë (r. 1028–50) had coins struck with the Antiphonetes image and kept an icon of the type close at hand. "I myself have often seen her, in moments of great distress, clasp the sacred object in her hands, contemplate it, talk to it as if it were indeed alive, and address it with one sweet term of endearment after another," wrote court historian Michael Psellos (1018–ca. 1081).

Source: Icon with Christ Antiphonetes [Byzantine] (1979.217) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
wileyc
Constantinopolis_RIC_144.JPG
Commemorative Issue, 330 - 346 AD (Constantinople)Obv: CONSTANTINPOLI, laureate, helmeted bust of Constantinople facing left, wearing an imperial cloak and holding a reversed spear.

Rev: GLORIA EXERCITVS, two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, holding reversed spears in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground, between them is one standard; CONSZ in exergue.

Copper reduced Follis, Constantinople mint, 336 - 337 AD

1.3 grams, 14.7 mm, 180°

RIC VII Constantinople 144
Matt Inglima
111_081.JPG
ConstansConstans AE3. 335 AD. FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C, laureate, cuirassed bust right / GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers standing facing one another, each holding reversed spear and shield set on ground, two standards between them, SMANE in ex.

RIC VII Antioch 89 (SMANΕ), R5 in RIC

new photo
2 commentsRandygeki(h2)
ASIS_TREE.JPG
ConstansConstans - Siscia Mint - Officina 1 - AE3 - RIC VIII 195

O: CONSTANS P F AVG, rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right

R: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN , two victories facing one another, each holding a wreath and palm frond, palm in center, ASIS in exergue

1.3g, 15.8/16.8mm, 180 degree die axis, 347-348AD
1 commentsBiancasDad
00663.jpg
Constans (RIC 195, Coin #663)RIC 195 (C2), AE4, Siscia, 347 - 348 AD.
OBV: CONSTANS P F AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REV: VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN (ASIS); Two victories facing one another, each holding a wreath and palm frond, palm in center.
SIZE: 16.4mm 1.52g
MaynardGee
Constans_opt.jpg
CONSTANS AE3 RIC VII 89, Gloria ExercitvsOBV: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C, laureate, cuirassed bust right
REV: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers standing facing one another, each holding reversed spear and shield set on ground, two standards between them, SMANH in ex.


Minted at Antioch, 335 AD
Legatus
Constans_Heraclea_139.jpg
Constans as Junior GLORIA EXERCITVS from HeracleaConstans
A.D. 333- 336
18mm 2.7g
CONSTANS IVN NOB C; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GLORIA EXERCITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards.
in ex. SMHB✶
RIC VII Heraclea 139

This first issue for Constans from Heraclea mistakenly has IVN (Junior) in the obverse legend.
Victor C
coin16_quad_sm.jpg
CONSTANS PF AVG / GLORIA EXERCITVS AE4 follis, 346-348 CONSTAN - S PF AVG, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust left, the laurel leaves are denoted as longish shapes / GLOR - IA EXERC - ITVS, two soldiers, helmeted, draped, cuirassed, standing front, heads turned toward each another, each holding inverted spear in outer hand and resting inner hand on shield; between them, a standard, device on banner large dot, with 3 badges. Mintmark AQS in exergue, palm branch "upright" in both left and right fields.

Ó”4, 15.5mm, 1.10g, die axis 6h (coin alignment), material: bronze/copper-based alloy

RIC VIII Aquileia 22: ID straightforward thanks to unusual obverse and palm branches in the fields, even if the mintmark were unclear.

P F AVG = Pius Felix Augustus = the pius (dutiful) and fortunate (happy) emperor. Gloria Exercitus (noun + genitive) "The Glory of the Army" AQuileia mint, S = officina #2.

CONSTANS, * c. 323 † February 350 (aged ~27) in Vicus Helena, southwestern Gaul (Elne, southern France)
‡ 25 December 333 – 337 (as Caesar in Constantinople under his father); 337 – 340 (joint emperor with Constantius II and Constantine II, over Italia and Africa); 340 – 350 (after defeating Constantine II, Western Emperor, together with Constantius II in the East).

More biographical info in http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-147486
Yurii P
constans2vic.jpg
Constans, 333-337 ADAE3, 17mm, 1.8g, 12h; Siscia mint: 347-348.
Obv.: CONSTAN-S PF AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN; Two Victories standing, facing one another, each holding wreath and palm // ΓSIS.
Reference: RIC VIII Siscia 183 (p. 363).
Notes: ex-coin.ages, eBay sale, 3/4/15, 33.
John Anthony
cons_2vict_k.jpg
Constans, 333-337 ADConstans, 333-337 AD
Æ16, 1.7g, 12h; Siscia mint: 347-348.
Obv.: CONSTAN-S PF AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN; Two Victories standing, facing one another, each holding wreath and palm, palm branch between them // ASIS.
Ref.: RIC VIII Siscia 195, p. 363
John Anthony
constans22sis.jpg
Constans, 337-350AE Follis: 18.5mm. 2.5g; Siscia mint:
Obv.: FL CONSTANTIS BEA C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: GLO-RIA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards // dot delta SIS dot
Reference: RIC VII Siscia 238
Notes: Part of a Constans two-soldier two-standard mint set.
John Anthony
constans22alex.jpg
Constans, 337-350 AE Follis; Alexandria mint
Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: GLO-RIA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards // SMALA
Reference: RIC VII Alexandria 61
Notes: Part of a Constans two-soldier two-standard mint set.
John Anthony
ConstansArles.jpg
Constans, 337-350AE3, 17mm, 1,96g; Arles mint: 333-334
Obv.: FL IVL CONSTANS NOB C; Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: GLORI-A EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers, helmeted, standing looking at one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shield resting on ground; between them, two standards, dot in wreath between // SCONST
Reference: RIC VII Arles 378 (p. 274) R4
John Anthony
2vicsis_k.jpg
Constans, AD 333-337AE16, 1.8g, 6h; Siscia mint, 347-348.
Obv.: CONSTAN-S PF AVG; Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN; Two Victories standing, facing one another, each holding wreath and palm, palm frond between // ASIS.
Reference: RIC VIII Siscia 194, p. 363.
John Anthony
21_k.jpg
Constans, AD 337-350Æ Reduced Follis, 14mm, 1.5g, 6h; Trier mint, AD 340
Obv.: CONSTANS PF AVG; Diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right.
Rev.: GLORIA EXERCITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, standing, facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them one standard, M on banner // TRS
Reference: RIC VIII 106, p. 145, Rare
From the YOC Collection
John Anthony
CONSTNS-7-ROMAN~0.jpg
Constans, Constantinople RIC VII-140(IA)AE4
Constantinople mint, 336-337 A.D.
17mm, 1.54g
RIC VII-140

Obverse:
FL CONSTANS NOB CAES
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left.

Reverse:
GLORIA EXERCITVS
CONSIA
Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on ground; between them one standard.
Will J
CONSTNS-3-ROMAN~0.jpg
Constans, Siscia RIC VIII-183(B)AE4
Siscia mint, 347-348 A.D.
15mm, 1.32g
RIC VIII-183

Obverse:
CONSTANS P F AVG
Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.

Reverse:
VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN
BSIS
Two Victories standing facing one another, each holding wreath and palm.
Will J
CONSTNS-4-ROMAN~0.jpg
Constans, Thessalonica RIC VIII-100(A)AE4
Thessalonica mint, 347-348 A.D.
16mm, 1.40g
RIC VIII-100

Obverse:
CONSTANS P F AVG
Laurel and rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.

Reverse:
VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN
SMTSA
Two Victories facing one another, each holding wreath and palm-branch.
Will J
CONSTNS-2-ROMAN.jpg
Constans, Trier RIC VIII-185(P)AE4
Trier mint, 347-348 A.D.
16mm, 1.93g
RIC VIII-185

Obverse:
CONSTANS P F AVG
Rosette-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right.

Reverse:
VICTORIAE DD AVGG Q NN
Leaf in center field
TR P
Two Victories standing facing one another, each holding wreath and palm.
Will J
Constans- Victoriae 1.JPG
Constans- Victoriae AVGGConstans, 9 September 337 - 19 January 350 A.D.


Obverse:
Rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right

CONSTANS P F AVG

CONSTANS: Constans
P F: Pius Felix, Pious and happy
AVG: Augustus, emperor

Reverse: Two Victories facing one another, each holding wreath and palm frond, D in center.

VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN

VICTORIAE: Victory
DD: Dominus Nostra, our lord
AVGGQ: two emperors
NN: Nost—Nostrorvm, our

Domination: Bronze AE3, size 16 mm

Mint: TRP, Trier mint, P= Prima Officina, 347-348 A.D
Note - Doubled letters used as plurals, e.g. one ruler is AUG and two agusti AUGG, one Caesar is CAES and two is CAESS, or D N vs D D N N where N N is read as "our".
According "Peter N. Schulten, Die Römische Münzstätte Trier", (Frankfurt 1974), page 31, is emission no. 53 (343 AD) marked like this (with the D in the middle).
Peter Wissing
Constans_VICTORIAE_DD_AVGGQ_NN.JPG
Constans- VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NNObverse:
CONSTANS P F AVG

CONSTANS: Constans
PF: Pius Felix
AVG: Augustus, emperor

Reverse:
VICTORIAE DD AVGGQ NN
'The victories of our lords the emperors

VICTORIAE: Victories
DD: Dominus Noster
AVGGQ: emperors
NN: Nost—Nostrorvm

Note - Doubled letters used as plurals, e.g. one ruler is AUG and two agusti AUGG, one Caesar is CAES and two is CAESS, or D N vs D D N N where N N is read as "our".

Two victories facing one another, each holding a wreath and palm frond, palm branch upright in centre field.

Domination: Bronze AE3, size 16 mm

Mint: Siscia εSIS (ε= Epsilon 5. th Officina, SIS= Siscia)
Peter Wissing
constantine_max_ag.png
Constantine 9.01.002Constantine
Obv IMP CONSTANTINVS MAX AG
(R. laur, helmet, cuir)
Rev VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
(Two victories standing facing one another, together holding vota shield, inscribed VOT/PR in two lines, resting on a column)
PLN in ex
London
Not in RIC LMCC 9.01.002 (RR)
3.0g, 17.7 mm x 18.3 mm
1 commentsNoviomagus
constantine_vict_1.png
Constantine 9.01.004Constantine
Obv IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG
(L, high crested helmet, cuir, spear across right shoulder)
Rev VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP (Two victories facing one another, together holding vota shield, inscribed VOT/PR in two lines, resting on column)
PLN in ex
London
RIC VII 156 (r1) LMCC 9.01.004 (S)
2.4g, 17.5 mm x 19.3 mm
(ex Antika Coins)
Noviomagus
constantine_victoriae_2.png
Constantine 9.01.007Constantine
Obv IMP CONSTANTINVS MAX AG
(R. laur, helmet, cuir)
Rev VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
(Two victories standing facing one another, together holding vota shield, inscribed VOT/PR in two lines, resting on an altar inscribed with a lozenge)
PLN in ex
London
Not in RIC LMCC 9.01.007 (R)
2.9g, 18.0 mm x 17.2 mm
(ex Phil Goodwin)
Noviomagus
constantine_vict_ag.png
Constantine 9.01.012Constantine
Obv CONSTANTINVS AG
(R. laur, helmet, cuir)
Rev VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
(Two victories standing facing one another, together holding vota shield, inscribed VOT/PR in two lines, resting on an altar inscribed with a lozenge)
PLN in ex
London
3.23g, 18.6 mm x 18.3 mm
RIC VII 163 (r5) LMCC 9.01.012 (R)
(ex Zajonata Coins)
Noviomagus
constantine_901023.png
Constantine 9.01.023Constantine
Obv CONSTANTINVS MAX AG
(R.laur, draped, cuir)
Rev VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP
(Two victories standing facing one another, shield held above altar, wreath on altar)
PLN in ex
London
RIC VII 171(r4) LMCC 9.01.023 (S)
London
3.30g, 17.9 mm x 18.4 mm
(ex Reg Carney)
Noviomagus
c043.JPG
Constantine IConstantine I AE3. CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right / GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two helmeted soldiers standing facing one another, with spears and shields & standards between, SMANA in ex. Antioch
RIC VII 86
Randygeki(h2)
const_1_glor_ex_2.jpg
CONSTANTINE I -- Gloria308-337 AD
struck 330-335
18mm 2.43gm
O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diadem, draped, cuirassed bust right
R: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards; CONSH dot in exe.
Constantinople mint; RIC VII 73
laney
cons_i_exer.jpg
CONSTANTINE I -- GloriaCONSTANTINE I -- Gloria
308-337 AD
struck 330-335
17.5 mm 1.96 gm
O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diadem, draped, cuirassed bust right
R: GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS Two soldiers helmeted, standing facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards; CONSH dot in exe.
Constantinople mint; RIC VII 73
laney
constantine_i_vict_laer_unoff.jpg
CONSTANTINE I -- VIC LAET307 - 337
probably struck ca 319
AE 17.5 mm; 2.18 g
O: IMP CONSTA-NTINVSN_ Laureate, helmeted and cuirassed bust right
R: VICTORIAE LAETAI PRINCI Two Victories standing, facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT/PR on altar; S(?)TR in exe.
Trier, Unofficial Issue
(The atypical legends indicate an unofficial issue)
laney
cons_vict_lae_3_8_26.jpg
CONSTANTINE I -- VICT LAE307 - 337 AD
AE 18 mm 2.58 g
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG - helmeted, laureate & cuirassed bust right.
R: VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP - Two Victories standing facing one another, holding shiled inscribed VOT/PR above altar (type 2b).
PLN in exergue.
London
RIC VII 157 (R1 RARE)

laney
const_1_vict_helmet_b.jpg
CONSTANTINE I -- VICT LAE306 - 337 AD
AE silvered ant. 16.5 mm, 2.19 g
O: IMP CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG, around helmeted and cuirassed bust of Constantine to right
R:VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, around two Victories standing facing one another, holding shield, VOT PR inscribed on shield, altar below
laney
constantine_i_.jpg
Constantine I AE Follis. 318-9 AD.Ticinum RIC VII 82,T
Constantine I AE Follis. 318-9 AD. IMP CONSTAN-TINVS MAX AVG, helmeted bust right / VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT PR on altar. Mintmark TT.
"VD"
1 commentsBritanikus
victoriaelaetaeORweb.jpg
Constantine I AE3O: IMP CONSTAN-TINVS MAX AVG, emperor facing r., helmeted, laureated, cuirassed.
R: VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP, two Victories stg., facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT/PR on alter.
Ex. STR
19mm 2.88g RIC VII Trier 213
casata137ec
Constantino_vot_pr.JPG
Constantine I AE3 Victoriae Laetae Princ PerpConstantine (326 - 328 AD)

AE3

Obv. IMP CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG. Laureate, helmeted, and cuirassed bust right.
Rev. VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP Two Victories standing facing one another, holding shield inscribed VOT / PR between, set upon altar decorated with star.
Mintmark: STR. Treveri
RIC VII 213

Weigth: 2.7g
Diameter: 18mm
Jose Polanco
Constantinus_SMANA.JPG
Constantine I AE3. CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed, draped & cuirassed bust right / GLORIA EXERCITVS, Two helmeted soldiers standing facing one another, with spears and shields & standards between, SMANA in ex. Antioch
RIC VII 86,A
Antonivs Protti
Constantine_Trier_billon.JPG
Constantine I billon VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP from TrierConstantine I
A.D. 312- 313
Billon Argenteus
18x20mm 3.0g
IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG; high crested helmet, draped and cuirassed; spear over right shoulder and holding parazonium (?) in left.
VICTORIAE LAETAE PRINC PERP; two Victories stg., facing one another, together holding wreath inscribed VOT PR on altar.
In ex. PTR
RIC VII Trier 208A (in error)

this coin should be in RIC VI (see RIC VI Trier 825-6 for Licinius and Maximinus types)

Part of a series issued for each ruler (IOVI CONSERVATORI AVG for Licinius and SOLI INVICTO COMITI for Maximinus) these billon (roughly 25% percent silver) coins were struck circa 313 A.D. in Trier. As the capitol of Constantine's Gallic Empire, Trier would be expected to issue special coinage. These coins, or Festmünzen, were issued to celebrate the short-lived reconciliation of the three Augusti following the defeat of Maxentius in 312.
2 commentsVictor C
Constantine_brockage_Lyon.jpg
Constantine I brockage from LyonConstantine I
A.D. 320
17mm 3.6g
CONS-TANTINVS AVG; high crested helmet (bowl shaped) and cuirassed bust right.


For reverse see--

VICTORIAE LAET PRINC PERP; two Victories stg., facing one another, together holding shield inscribed VOT PR on altar.
in ex. P [2 captives] L
RIC VII Lyons 79

Obverse brockage
Victor C
Constantinople_59.JPG
Constantine I GLORIA EXERCITVS from ConstantinopleConstantine I
A.D. 330-3
17x19mm 2.4g
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards.
in ex. CONSB
RIC VII Constantinople 59

Victor C
GLORIA_Heraclea_131.JPG
Constantine I GLORIA EXERCITVS from HeracleaConstantine I
A.D. 330-3
20x22mm 2.6g
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
•GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards.
in ex. •SMHΓ•
RIC VII Heraclea 131


large flan
Victor C
Constantine_Trier537_var.JPG
Constantine I GLORIA EXERCITVS from TrierConstantine I
A.D. 332-333
18mm 2.6g
CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG; rosette-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS; Two soldiers helmeted, stg. facing one another, reversed spear in outer hands, inner hands on shields resting on the ground; between them two standards with • between them at top.
in ex. TR•S
RIC VII Trier 537 var.


variation with dot between the top of the standards.
Victor C
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