The Roman Empire
Domitian


Obverse
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Reverse
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Coin Details

  

Set Details
Coin Description:
Grade: NGC MS* Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5
Grade Comment: silvering
Owner: Kohaku
 
Set Category: Ancients
Set Name: The Roman Empire
Slot Name: Domitian
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

Constantine I (c. 272 – 337 AD) was born the son of Constantius, an ambitious general serving under Emperor Diocletian, and Helena, the daughter of a humble innkeeper. When Constantine was still a teenager, his father took a new wife, Emperor Maximian’s daughter, Theodora, not out of love, but in the name of career advancement. The deal paid off. In 293 AD, Constantine’s father was named western Caesar, to serve under western Augustus Maximian as part the new ruling Tetrarchy. At that time, Constantine was dispatched to serve under the eastern Augustus, Diocletian and his Caesar subordinate, Galerius. Helen followed her son to his new post, evidence of their affection for one another. Constantine received training, and quickly proved his value as a soldier and administrator. About a decade later, Maximian and Diocletian abdicated power as western and eastern Augusti, with Constantius and Galerius taking their respective places. Constantius preferred that his son Constantine be his western Caesar, but this was not to be, since Diocletian insisted on appointing Severus II. Nonetheless, Constantine made his way back west and joined his father campaigning in Britannia. In mid 306 AD, Constantine’s father became ill, and died, but not before naming his son as successor. Although the troops concurred with the proclamation, there was a problem. Officially, it was Severus II, the previous western Caesar, who should be elevated to western Augustus. Galerius, as senior Augustus, consented to a compromise. Severus would become western Augustus and take on Constantine as his Caesar, thus preserving the integrity of the Tetrarchy. This coin was produced during this period; hence, Constantine’s laureate and cuirassed bust appears on the obverse along with the title NOB C (“noble Caesar”). The reverse inscription, GENIO POP ROM (an abbreviation for GENIO POPULI ROMANI, signifying “to the guardian spirit of the people of Rome") encircles the standing figure of Genius holding in one hand a cornucopia, from which all riches flow, and in the other hand a patera, a small circular dish used in making sacrifices. This coin was struck at Trier, in Gaul, which at the time was the Tetrarchal capital of the northwestern Roman Empire. Constantine ordered many building projects in the city (and elsewhere in Gaul), including walls, towers, fortified gates, a large formal audience hall, and an elaborate public bath rivaling those found in Rome. These projects, along with military prowess and refusal to prosecute Christians (despite Galerius’ mandate), associated Constantine with his father Constantius. This was particularly important since some Romans considered Constantine illegitimate, as he was the son of Helen, and not Theodora. Perceptions notwithstanding, Constantine aggressively expanded his influence, and eventually proved one of Rome’s most powerful and longest-reigning Emperors. Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantine I, as Caesar 306-309, Billion nummus (25mm, 6.40 g, 6h), Struck 307 AD at Treveri (Trier) mint, 1st officina, NGC Grade: MS*, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate and cuirassed bust right, FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB C, Reverse: Genius standing left, holding patera and scepter, GENIO POP ROM, S-A, PTR in exergue, Reference: RIC VI 719b.

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