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Follis - Arcadius SALVS REIPVBLICAE, Rome
| Issuer | Western Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 395-403 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | Victory advancing left, head turned back to the right, dragging a captive barbarian with her right hand and holding a trophy over her left shoulder, a standard iconographic type for the SALVS REIPVBLICAE (Salvation of the State) coinage. A Chi-Rho Christogram symbol appears in the field to the left of the figure, affirming the Christian character of the late Roman state. The divided legend SALVS REI-PVBLICAE is distributed around the type, while the exergue bears the Rome mint mark. The coin is heavily worn and encrusted with green patina, obscuring fine details. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Arcadius ruled the Eastern half of the empire while his brother Honorius held the West, yet this coin was struck at Rome for the Eastern emperor — a routine consequence of the administrative machinery that continued minting for both courts regardless of which Augustus nominally governed a given territory. The SALVS REIPVBLICAE type had been in continuous production since the 380s and was effectively the workhorse bronze of the late empire, struck in enormous quantities across a dozen mints simultaneously.
By 395 the weight standard had already collapsed well below its original target. This example at 1.11g sits at the lower end even for the degraded series.