Theodosius I 379 - 395 A.D.
Coin Description | Theodosius I, AE 18 mm, Grade ??, A gorgeous coin with nice desert patina (the orange compacted sand) bought on the Sunday live auctions of the Ancient Peddler coin group on yahoo, VM 30/2 |
Obverse | The portrait is of Theodosius I a pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust facing right. The legend reads DN THEODOSIVS PF AVG meaning: DN (Dominus Noster /our lord showing the emperor to be the supreme ruler) THEODOSIVS (his name) PF (Pius Felix / Dutiful and Wise) AVG Augustus which defines him as being the emperor. The legend is broken which is a sign of the highest respect and signifies him as the senior Augustus. |
Reverse |
The reverse shows the personification of Constantinople, turreted (a helmet with turrets symbolizing the city), seated on a stylized chair (the square shapes behind her) facing right, her left foot rests on the prow of a ship and she holds a scepter in her left hand her right hand rests on her knee her right leg is bare (from the knee down). There is a Θ (theta) in the left field and a Φ (phi) in the right field. The legend reads CONCORDIA AVGGG which translates as "Unity of the emperors" The three G's indicate it is plural and that there are three emperors at the time (Theodosius I, Gratian and his co-Augustus the young Valentinian II) |
Mint | The exergue reads ANTΔ meaning the 4th workshop (delta) of Antioch |
The Entire Story | The entire story of this coin would read: Our Lord Theodosius the Dutiful and Wise Augustus and the reverse indicates that all three emperors form a united front (true or not ). I'm not sure what the personification of Constantinople means in this context. |