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Aureus - Constantinus MARTI PATRI NK, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 306-307 |
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| Currency | Argenteus, Reform of Diocletian (AD 293/301 – 310/324) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse lettering | MARTI PATRI NK (Translation: To Mars, the father) |
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| Additional information |
Constantine issued this aureus at Nicomedia during the opening months of his reign, proclaimed by his troops at Eboracum in July 306 following the death of Constantius I — a succession the tetrarchic system had not sanctioned. Galerius, the senior Augustus in the East, refused to recognize him as anything above Caesar. The MARTI PATRI dedication to Mars as "Father" was a deliberate ideological gesture, anchoring Constantine's legitimacy in divine military ancestry at precisely the moment that legitimacy was being contested.
Nicomedia was Diocletian's preferred eastern capital, making its mint politically charged ground for a new and disputed claimant.