Licinius II (Caesar) 317 - 324 A.D.
Coin Description | Licinius II, AE 18mm, Grade??, The coin is well centered and on several places there are remains of silvering left. RIC VII 34, Cohen 39 ,RBC 283, VM 7. |
Obverse | The portrait is of Licinius II a laureate and draped bust facing right. The legend reads DN VAL LICIN LICINIVS NOB C meaning: DN (Dominus Noster /our lord) VAL LICIN LICINIVS (his name Valerius Licinianus Licinius) NOB C (Nobilitas Caesar / Royal Heir to the throne). A continuous legend is also an indication of Licinius II holding the rank of Caesar. |
Reverse |
The reverse shows Jupiter standing
left, holding a scepter in his left hand, he also has a chlamys
hanging over his left arm. In his right hand he holds a Victory
on a globe (called a Victoriola which is a carved cult statue of victory
which is holding out a wreath). There's a palm leaf at Jupiter's right
foot. Jupiter presents the victoriola, which symbolizes the gift of victory
in battle from the gods and the renown that came with the victory, to
the young Caesar. The legend reads PROVIDENTIAE CAESS which translates
as "The foresight of the Caesars". The second S in CAESS means
that there are two legitimate heirs to the throne, in this case Licinius
II and Crispus. For a bit more
on Providentia see here. There is
a |
Mint | The exergue reads SMN meaning SM (Sacred Moneta / Sacred Money) N for the Nicomedia mint the officina is indicated by the Δ in the right field and stands for the fourth officina (delta). |
The Entire Story | The entire story of this coin would read: Our Lord Valerius Licinianus Licinius the noble heir to the throne.The foresight of the Caesars might indicate that they are heirs to the throne which can spare the people the unrest and all too frequent civil wars over imperial succession in the future. The Caesars are protected/blessed by the gods and are granted victory over their enemies by the gods as shown by the symbols of victory presented by Jupiter. |