Figure 1
| Roman Coin Illustrations. |
Commemorative Coins Of Constantine the Great
Figure 1
Among the commonest of Roman coins are two types struck by Constantine the Great and his sons between AD 330 and 341 to mark the foundation of Constantinople (present day Istanbul) as the eastern capital of the Roman empire. These coins are unusual in that they do not bear the portrait of the emperor. They were produced at twelve mints across the Roman empire which are identified by letters at the bottom of the reverse (the mint-mark). Sometimes there are symbols above the mint-mark.
The first design (fig. 1) has on one side a helmeted design facing left which personifies the city of Constantinople, with the inscription CONSTANTINOPOLIS or CONSTANTINOPOLI. The other side shows a figure of Victory standing on the prow of a ship and is a reference to Constantine's sea victory over his rival Licinius at Chrysopolis near Constantinople in AD 324.
Figure 2
The second design (fig. 2) also shows a helmeted head, this time identified as the personification of the city of Rome (VRBS ROMA) on one side, and on the other a she-wolf suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, a reference to the legendary story of the foundation of Rome. The mint-mark is included beneath both these designs.
Roman Radiates and their imitations ('barbarous radiates')
Figure 1 (not to scale)
The most common coin produced during the third century AD was the radiate, so-called because of the crown of rays that the emperor is shown wearing. This coin has sometimes been known as the 'antoninianus' in modern times. It was first issued in AD 215 with more than half its metal content being silver, but this level was progressively reduced until by 268 it contained less than five per cent silver. One consequence of this debasement was that these coins were struck in ever increasing numbers, with production reaching a peak between 260 and 275 under the Roman emperors Gallienus, Claudius II and Aurelian, and the usurpers Postumus, Victorinus and Tetricus I, who controlled Britain, France and part of Germany from 260-274 (the 'Gallic Empire'.)
Figure 2 (not to scale)
Forgeries of Roman coins were made from the very beginning, but in the late third century AD copies of radiates (so-called 'barbarous radiates') became increasingly numerous. This was partly because after Aurelius reformed the coinage in 274 the inhabitants of many parts of the empire, especially Britain and France, seem to have preferred to continue using the old coins. Many copies, therefore, were made to fill the gap caused by the lack of fresh official coins.
Figure 3 (not to scale)Copies can be distinguished from official coins by the crudity of their engraving or by their use of inappropriate designs. They range from examples that are very close to the original in size and style to tiny coins, known as minims, that would have deceived no-one. Tetricus I (AD 270-4) is the emperor whose coins were the most frequently copied. It seems that all radiate copies were made between about AD 260 and 295. Illustrated are: a radiate of Tetricus I (fig. 1); a relatively good copy of such a coin (fig. 2); a very small and crude copy (fig.3).
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