URBS ROMA help.

[*Alex]

Hi,

I have an URBS ROMA wolf and twins commemorative with the letters S - R either side of the stars on the reverse.
I know that the coin was struck at Alexandria between the death of Constantine I in A.D.337 and before April A.D.340. It is RIC VIII : 8.

My question is, does anyone know what the letters S - R stand for? RIC only says that it was a "special" mintmark which really doesn't tell me anything.

I was thinking along the lines of SECVRITAS, SPES or SALVS REIPVBLICAE but I am really only guessing because I haven't a clue. 

Regards,

Alex.

[Robert_Brenchley]

We could guess, but that's all it would be. There's no record.

[*Alex]

Thanks Robert. I was just wondering if something similar to Guy de la Bédoyère's decipherment of the Carausius inscriptions had taken place in recent times.
The letters will just have to remain enigmatic.

Regards,

Alex.

[Heliodromus]

Thanks Robert. I was just wondering if something similar to Guy de la Bédoyère's decipherment of the Carausius inscriptions had taken place in recent times.
The letters will just have to remain enigmatic.

Regards,

Alex.

Thanks for that reference - I wasn't familiar with Guy de la Bédoyère's compelling theory, but have just corrected that.

For anyone else interested, Guy's full article (a Word doc) can be found here:

http://www.romanbritain.freeserve.co.uk/carausiusarticle.doc

Or an abbreviated version of it on his web page here:

http://www.romanbritain.freeserve.co.uk/CARAUSIUS.HTM

As far as the Alexandrian S-R goes, I think Salvs Reipvblicae would have to be the guess to beat. Many of Constantine's field marks (T-F, F-T, S-F, P-R would appear obvious and intended to be understood/guessable, and have in common that they are legends that were used on his coinage. Salvs Reip. fits the pattern of a feel-good coin legend that would seem to have been an obvious guess for contemporary romans and hence (if one assumes they were meant to be understood), a likely candidate. Given that we've only got the two letters (S R) to go on, it's hard to imagine any theory as obviously correct as Guy de la B's RSR,INPCDA!

Ben