Constantine the Great and sons (330-346 AD)
| General Information | Commemorative Coin, AE 14 mm, Grade?? |
| Obverse |
The portrait is of the personification / goddess of the city of Rome a helmeted bust facing left. The legend reads VRBS ROMA which translates as VRBS (City), ROMA (Rome) The City of Rome. |
| Reverse | The reverse shows two soldiers standing on either site of a standard. The legend reads GLORIA EXERCITVS which translates as "Glory of the Army" or "Glory to the Army". |
| Mint | The exergue reads CONS? which stands for the mint at Constantinople. The last letter would give the mint office but is unfortunately unreadable. |
| The Entire Story | This commemorative coin with the portrait of Rome was issued to mark the 1100th anniversary of the traditional founding of Rome. These coins were actually struck to coincide with Constantine's dedication of his new capital at Constantinople in 330, which was several years prior to the anniversary of the founding of Rome (which was founded in 753 BC). Constantine refounded the ancient Greek city of Byzantium as Constantinople and made it the new capital of the empire. On the 8th of November 324 Constantine formally laid out the boundaries of his new city, roughly quadrupling its territory. By 328 the new walls were completed, and on the 11th of May 330 the new city was formally dedicated. This coin was minted to commemorate this grand occasion and to show the people that Rome was still important and not forgotten. Its also dedicated to the army which was enormously important to the emperor. |
