Obverse: CONSTANTINVS AVG; Diademed and
Draped Bust of the Emperor Facing Right
Reverse: SARMATIA DEVICTA; Victory, Carrying a
Trophy and a Palm Branch, Advancing Right over
a Captive
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. This
stunning hand-struck coin, whose imagery refers
to a major victory over the Sarmatians, reveals an
expertise of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural detail that is often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. This
ancient coin 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.
- (C.7059)
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