Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XIX 26-27 Mar 2020
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Constantine I AV Solidus. Nicomedia, AD 326. Diademed head right with uplifted gaze / CONSTANTINVS AVG, two laurel wreaths; star above, N below. RIC 108; C 105; Alföldi 41; Depeyrot 38/1. 4.56g, 20mm, 12h.
Near Mint State. Very Rare.
From a private English collection.
Constantine gazes heavenward on this extremely desirable anepigraphic type, his beautifully engraved portrait larger and more impressive than those of Crispus and the Caesars Constantine and Constantius on parallel coin types (cited in L. Ramskold, Constantine's Vicennalia and the Death of Crispus, in Miša Rakocija (ed.), Niš and Byzantium Symposium XI, 2013, p.434). The interpretation of Christian theologian Eusebius infuses this obverse type – developed from AD 324 - with a religious dimension: the emperor looks "upwards in the manner of one reaching out to God in prayer", and is elevated as a divinely inspired ruler in a state of prayer (VC 4.15.1). According to Sutherland and Carson, 'the less known the ruler, the more explicit was the legend' (RIC VII, p.27), and the lack of inscription grants even greater prominence to this striking portrait of Constantine, ruling over a united empire by the time of minting. The varied depictions of male family members on obverse busts following the Battle of Chrysopolis makes the unified dynastic series of Constantine and his imperial household wearing matching band-diadems, as on this type, a rare and notable occurrence (RIC 108-13 Nicomedia; RIC VII, p.35). The band-diademed portrait, an innovation in imperial portraiture, was apt in the context of Constantine's vicennalia celebrations (starting in July AD 325). Such a development also followed in the wake of the decisive victory at Chrysopolis in September AD 324: this 'holy war', so termed by C. Odahl (Constantine and the Christian Empire, 2010, p.177), was fought and won on a huge scale, even accounting for exaggeration by Zosimus who numbers Constantine's army at 120,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry (Hist. Nova, II.22.1-2).
The symbolism of the two-wreath design, an unprecedented reverse type confined to this period, has attracted much scholarly attention. The laurel wreath featured prominently in republican coinage as an emblem of victory: the denarii reverses of Faustus Cornelius Sulla in 56 BC depicted four wreaths around a globe, for example, each wreath corresponding to a foreign victory of Pompey (Crawford RRC I no.426/4a). The double wreath imagery on this type likely similarly commemorated the victories which gave Constantine sole and unchallenged dominion over his territories: the twin design could mark victories in the Civil Wars of AD 316/7 and 324 against Licinius, but more probably specifically celebrate the Battles of the Hellespont and Chrysopolis in AD 324. Eusebius later rejoiced that after the second Civil War, "with the impious defeated and the gloomy cloud of tyrannic power dispersed, the sun once more shone brightly" (VC, II. 19) and this present type was minted in the celebratory context of the vicennalia, the twentieth year of Constantine's rule, heralding the inception of a shining new era.
In fact, Constantine's vicennalia ended in turmoil rather than triumph, the executions of Crispus and Fausta upon Constantine's orders reflecting disruption within the imperial family (discussed by L. Ramskold, "Constantine's Vicennalia and the Death of Crispus," 2013, pp.409ff). However, this very rare type, a specimen from Nicomedia featuring the central star which was usually limited to parallel types from Sirmium, Ticinum, and Trier, evoked a celebratory mood, hailing the victories which gave Constantine governance over a vast Roman Empire.
Near Mint State. Very Rare.
From a private English collection.
Constantine gazes heavenward on this extremely desirable anepigraphic type, his beautifully engraved portrait larger and more impressive than those of Crispus and the Caesars Constantine and Constantius on parallel coin types (cited in L. Ramskold, Constantine's Vicennalia and the Death of Crispus, in Miša Rakocija (ed.), Niš and Byzantium Symposium XI, 2013, p.434). The interpretation of Christian theologian Eusebius infuses this obverse type – developed from AD 324 - with a religious dimension: the emperor looks "upwards in the manner of one reaching out to God in prayer", and is elevated as a divinely inspired ruler in a state of prayer (VC 4.15.1). According to Sutherland and Carson, 'the less known the ruler, the more explicit was the legend' (RIC VII, p.27), and the lack of inscription grants even greater prominence to this striking portrait of Constantine, ruling over a united empire by the time of minting. The varied depictions of male family members on obverse busts following the Battle of Chrysopolis makes the unified dynastic series of Constantine and his imperial household wearing matching band-diadems, as on this type, a rare and notable occurrence (RIC 108-13 Nicomedia; RIC VII, p.35). The band-diademed portrait, an innovation in imperial portraiture, was apt in the context of Constantine's vicennalia celebrations (starting in July AD 325). Such a development also followed in the wake of the decisive victory at Chrysopolis in September AD 324: this 'holy war', so termed by C. Odahl (Constantine and the Christian Empire, 2010, p.177), was fought and won on a huge scale, even accounting for exaggeration by Zosimus who numbers Constantine's army at 120,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry (Hist. Nova, II.22.1-2).
The symbolism of the two-wreath design, an unprecedented reverse type confined to this period, has attracted much scholarly attention. The laurel wreath featured prominently in republican coinage as an emblem of victory: the denarii reverses of Faustus Cornelius Sulla in 56 BC depicted four wreaths around a globe, for example, each wreath corresponding to a foreign victory of Pompey (Crawford RRC I no.426/4a). The double wreath imagery on this type likely similarly commemorated the victories which gave Constantine sole and unchallenged dominion over his territories: the twin design could mark victories in the Civil Wars of AD 316/7 and 324 against Licinius, but more probably specifically celebrate the Battles of the Hellespont and Chrysopolis in AD 324. Eusebius later rejoiced that after the second Civil War, "with the impious defeated and the gloomy cloud of tyrannic power dispersed, the sun once more shone brightly" (VC, II. 19) and this present type was minted in the celebratory context of the vicennalia, the twentieth year of Constantine's rule, heralding the inception of a shining new era.
In fact, Constantine's vicennalia ended in turmoil rather than triumph, the executions of Crispus and Fausta upon Constantine's orders reflecting disruption within the imperial family (discussed by L. Ramskold, "Constantine's Vicennalia and the Death of Crispus," 2013, pp.409ff). However, this very rare type, a specimen from Nicomedia featuring the central star which was usually limited to parallel types from Sirmium, Ticinum, and Trier, evoked a celebratory mood, hailing the victories which gave Constantine governance over a vast Roman Empire.