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Follis - Arcadius VIRTUS EXERCITI, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Eastern Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 395-401 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.1 g |
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| Reverse description | The emperor Arcadius is depicted standing facing left with head turned right, clad in military attire, holding a spear in his right hand and resting his left hand upon a grounded shield. A personification of Victory stands behind him to the right, crowning the emperor with a wreath and holding a palm branch in her left hand — a classic late Roman motif celebrating imperial military virtue. The legend VIRTVS EXERCITI — Virtue of the Army — appears in the field. The exergue bears the Nicomedia mint mark SMNA, identifying the issuing officina. |
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| Mintage | ND (395-401) SMNA - A - 1st officina - ND (395-401) SMNA - B - 2nd officina - |
| Additional information |
Arcadius inherited the eastern half of a fracturing empire at eighteen, and the VIRTUS EXERCITI ("valor of the army") reverse type was a direct political response to that precariousness — an appeal to military loyalty at a moment when the court at Constantinople was genuinely uncertain of it. The Nicomedia mint, one of the most productive in the east during this period, struck this type across multiple officinae, distinguishable by the officina letter in the exergue.
RIC X 62 places this issue in the earliest years of Arcadius's sole reign following Theodosius I's death in January 395.