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AR20 - Diocletian L Δ
| Issuer | Alexandria (Egypt) |
|---|---|
| Year | 295-296 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Billon |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Radiate, draped, and cuirassed bust of Constantius Caesar facing right, seen from the front, with the emperor depicted in military attire. The legend ΚωΝϹΤΑΝΤΙΟϹ Κ encircles the effigy, identifying the ruler by name and his rank as Caesar. The portrait displays characteristic late Roman provincial style with finely rendered facial features and layered drapery visible at the shoulder. The flan is irregular in shape, consistent with the hand-struck tetradrachm coinage of the Alexandrian mint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ΚωΝϹΤΑΝΤΙΟϹ Κ |
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| Additional information |
Year 12 of Diocletian's reign in Alexandria corresponds precisely to the moment just before the currency reform of 296 AD, when Diocletian overhauled the Egyptian monetary system and forcibly retired the long-running Alexandrian billon tetradrachm series — a coinage that had operated as a closed currency for over two centuries, insulated from the rest of the empire. This piece belongs to the final cohort of that tradition.
The lambda-delta (LD) regnal date places it in that last gasp of production before the reform coin, the post-294 nummus, displaced local issues entirely.