There is a significant plurality of
symbols in the
field.
Present in 15-20% of cases, are placed between the two stars, or, sometimes, to their
side. They are typically the prerogative of
mint of
Arles and Trier, particularly the first, which has a very wide range of graphics solutions. Those of
Aquileia, Heraklea and
Nicomedia only fit 1 or 3 dots;
Rome a garland. Finally, the mints of
Alexandria,
Antioch, Cizikus,
Constantinople,
Lyon,
Siscia and
Thessalonica, however, does not place
symbols of any kind in the
field.
Symbols can be dots, wreaths,
palm branches or laurel, half moons, crowns, or
Chi-Rho.
About what they mean, some people assumed that they are images of the constellations in the sky when
Constantinople was founded: a suggestive hypothesis, but at present there is
still no convincing interpretation to justify their presence and explain why it is limited to some mints.
In the picture attached, the more frequent and characteristic
symbols: a) three dots vertically aligned, b) dot to right of stars, c)
Chi-Rho, d) unknown symbol, e) garland, f)
palm branch; g) branch of laurel.
There is also a pine tree (
Mint of
Arles) and our friend Sergio has a coin with a rising moon (
mint not identified).
Antvwala
