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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |The Late Empire||View Options:   | | | |
Valens ruled the Eastern Roman Empire from the Danube to the Persian border. He allowed Goths, who were driven from their home by the Huns, to settle in the Danube provinces. The Goths were so badly treated by Romans that they rebelled. Valens was defeated and killed by the Goths at the battle of Hadrianople.SH94513. Gold solidus, RIC IX Antioch 2(c)i3, Depeyrot 30/2, SRCV V 19566, Cohen VIII 32, Hunter V -, VF, well centered, bumps, marks, scratches, slight bend, weight 4.345 g, maximum diameter 21.0 mm, die axis 180o, 6th officina, Antioch (Antakya, Turkey) mint, Oct 367 - end 367 A.D.; obverse D N VALENS PER F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE, emperor standing facing, head right, vexillum with cross on flag in right hand, Victory standing on globe presenting wreath in left hand, ANTS (S recut over Z) in exergue; from the Ray Nouri Collection;
Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.
Anastasius converted the government to monetary payments, mandating that taxes be paid with cash rather than with goods, and also paying for goods and services with cash. This practice decreased the potential for embezzlement and the need for transportation and storage of supplies. It also allowed for easier accounting. He eliminated the practice of providing soldiers with their arms and uniforms; instead he allotted each soldier a generous sum of money with which to purchase their own. These changes to imperial policy seem to have worked well; taxpayers often paid smaller tax bills than they had before, while government revenue increased. The increase in revenue allowed the emperor to pay soldiers a higher wage, which attracted native Roman soldiers to the military, as opposed to the barbarian and Isaurian mercenaries which some previous emperors had been forced to rely on.SL96957. Gold solidus, DOC I 7j, Tolstoi 9, Ratto 321, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/14, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, Wroth BMC -, XF, pierced, bent and straightened (4284830-017), 10th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC I (victory of the three emperors, 10th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with an inverted staurogram (
Byzantine Empire, Justin I, 10 July 518 - 1 August 527 A.D.
They look similar, but there is a significant physical difference between angels and Victory. Angels are all male. Victory (Nike) is female. On Byzantine coinage, the male angel replaced the female Victory after the reunion with Rome was concluded on 28 March 519 A.D.SL96958. Gold solidus, DOC I 1f, Hahn MIB 2, Sommer 2.1, SBCV 55, Morrisson BnF -, Wroth BMC -, Tolstoi -, Ratto -, Ch XF, wrinkled, clipped (4284830-018), 8th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, 518 - 519 A.D.; obverse D N IVSTI-NVS P P AVI, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing, helmet with plume, diadem and trefoil ornament, spear in right hand over shoulder and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC H (victory of the three emperors, 8th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with an inverted staurogram (
Byzantine Empire, Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.
The complex monetary system of the late Roman Empire, which suffered a partial collapse in the mid-5th century, was reformed by Anastasius in 498. The new system involved three denominations of gold, the solidus and its half and third; and five of copper, the follis, worth 40 nummi, and its fractions down to a nummus. It would seem that the new currency quickly became an important part of trade with other regions. Four solidi from his reign have been recovered as far from the Roman Empire as China. China might seem an unlikely trading partner, but the Romans and the Chinese were probably able to do business via Central Asian merchants travelling along the Silk Roads. Some Roman trading partners attempted to replicate the coins of Anastasius. The currency created by Anastasius stayed in use and circulated widely for long after his reign.SL96955. Gold solidus, DOC I 7e, Wroth BMC 4, Tolstoi 5, Ratto 318, Sommer 1.4, Hahn MIB I 7, SBCV 5, Morrisson BnF -, NGC Ch VF, wrinkled, clipped, scratches (4284830-019), 5th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORIA AVGGG E (victory of the three emperors, 5th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with an inverted staurogram (
The Origins of The Anastasian Currency Reform
BL20293. Book The Origins of The Anastasian Currency Reform by D. M. Metcalf, hardcover, 105 pages, 12 plates, ex University of Chicago library;
Valens, 28 March 364 - 9 August 378 A.D.
Victory or Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings, with one of the most famous being the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Most other winged deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance of Athena and is thought to have stood in Athena's outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon. Victory or Nike is also one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek and Roman coins.RL93287. Bronze centenionalis, cf. SRCV V 19779 ff., F, well centered, weight 2.652 g, maximum diameter 16.5 mm, die axis 0o, Cyzicus(?) mint, 24 Aug 367 - 17 Nov 375 A.D.; obverse D N VALENS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE (security of the Republic), Victory walking left, wreath in right hand, palm frond in left hand, uncertain mintmark in exergue; from the Errett Bishop Collection;
Valentinian II, 17 November 375 - 15 May 392 A.D.
In 391, all non-Christian temples in the Empire were closed, as Theodosius established Christianity as the official state religion. The eternal fire in the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum was extinguished, and the Vestal Virgins were disbanded.RL93288. Bronze half centenionalis, cf. SRCV V 20341 ff., F, dark patina, earthen deposits, weight 1.253 g, maximum diameter 13.3 mm, die axis 0o, 383 - 392 A.D.; obverse D N VALENTINIANVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse SALVS REIPVBLICAE (health of the Republic), Victory walking left holding trophy over shoulder in right and dragging captive with left, staurogram left, uncertain mintmark in exergue; from the Errett Bishop Collection;
Theodosius II, 10 January 402 - 28 July 450 A.D.
The Ichthys, or fish symbol, was used by early Christians. Constantine adopted the Chi-Rho Christ monogram (Christogram) as his banner (labarum). The cross was rarely used in early Christian iconography, perhaps because it symbolized a purposely painful and gruesome method of public execution that most early Christians would have personally witnessed. In 315, Constantine abolished crucifixion as punishment in the Roman Empire. The use of a cross as the most prevalent symbol of Christianity probably gained momentum after Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, traveled to the Holy Land, c. 326 - 328, and recovered the True Cross.RL97020. Bronze half centenionalis, cf. RIC X Theodosius II 440 ff., SRCV V 21231 ff. (various mints), VF, tight flan, encrustation on edge, tiny edge cracks, weight 0.756 g, maximum diameter 11.6 mm, die axis 180o, uncertain mint, 425 - 435 A.D.; obverse D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse cross in wreath, mintmark (off flan) in exergue;
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