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Aureus - Licinius I IOVI CONS, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 317-318 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | RIC VII#20, OCRE#ric.7.nic.20 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Jupiter, laureate and semi-draped, seated facing on a throne, holding a long scepter or staff in his raised left hand and extending a small statuette of Victoria in his right. An eagle stands at his feet to the left, holding a wreath in its beak. A wreath appears in the right field. In the exergue, a rectangular frame encloses the mint signature. The composition reflects traditional Jovian iconography adopted by the Tetrarchs to assert divine patronage. |
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| Mint | SMN Nicomedia, Bithynia, modern-day İzmit, Turkey |
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| Additional information |
Licinius I struck this aureus at Nicomedia during a period of uneasy co-rule with Constantine I, following the Peace of Serdica in 317 that temporarily partitioned the empire between them. The Jupiter reverse type was a deliberate theological-political statement — Licinius anchored his legitimacy to the traditional Roman pantheon at precisely the moment Constantine was tilting toward Christianity. The two men would go to war again in 324, ending at the Battle of Chrysopolis, after which Licinius was deposed and eventually executed.
Nicomedia was Licinius's administrative capital and the city's mint output from this short window of nominal peace is well-documented in RIC VII.