These genuine Ancient Roman bronze coins of
Emperor Constantine the Great have been set
in a pair of modern 18 Karat gold cufflinks.
Constantine I, called Constantine the Great,
was the first Roman ruler to be converted to
Christianity. He was the founder of
Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), which
remained the capital of the Eastern Roman
(Byzantine) Empire until 1453. Constantine
the Great unified a tottering empire,
reorganized the Roman state, and set the
stage for the final victory of Christianity at the
end of the 4th century. Many modern scholars
accept the sincerity of his religious conviction.
His conversion was a gradual process; at first
he probably associated Christ with the
victorious sun god. By the time of the Council
of Nicaea (325), however, he was completely
Christian, but still tolerated paganism among
his subjects. Although criticized by his enemies
as a proponent of a crude and false religion,
Constantine the Great strengthened the
Roman Empire and ensured its survival in the
East. As the first emperor to rule in the name
of Jesus Christ, he was a major figure in the
foundation of medieval Christian Europe.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to
pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to
think of who might have touched the coin
before us, or where the coin will venture to
after it leaves our hands. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck
them, of a specific time and location, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empire. These stunning hand-struck
coins reveal an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural detail that is often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies.
This pair of ancient coins is a memorial to the
Emperor Constantius the Great, passed from
the hands of civilization to civilization, from
generation to generation that still appears as
vibrant today as the day it was struck.
