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Follis - Arcadius VOT X
| Issuer | Eastern Roman Empire |
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| Year | 383-408 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Emperor Arcadius facing right, rendered in the late antique imperial style typical of Eastern Roman coinage. The effigy displays a stylized treatment of the imperial regalia, with the pearl diadem visible along the brow. The surrounding Latin legend reads DN ARCADIVS PF AVG (Dominus Noster Arcadius Pius Felix Augustus), though much of the inscription is partially obscured by heavy wear and corrosion on this example. A dotted border frames the design at the coin's periphery. |
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| Reverse lettering | VOT X MVLT XX |
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| Additional information |
Arcadius ruled the Eastern Empire from 383 until his death in 408, though effective power resided largely with a succession of strongmen — Rufinus, Eutropius, and eventually his wife Eudoxia. The VOT X votive legend commemorates a decennial vow, a formulaic imperial tradition in which emperors publicly renewed religious oaths at ten-year intervals, though the precise alignment between vow ceremony and actual minting was often loose.
At 10 mm and 1.4 g, this is among the smallest bronze produced in the late fourth-century Eastern mints — a consequence of decades of steady weight reduction in the fractional bronze series that accelerated sharply after Theodosius I's death in 395.