Follis - Theodosius I VOT X MVLT XX, Nicomedia

Theodosius I came to power in January 379 under extraordinary pressure — appointed by Gratian specifically to salvage the eastern empire after the catastrophe at Adrianople, where Valens had been killed and two-thirds of the eastern field army destroyed. The VOT X MVLT XX vow formula records the expectation of a tenth-year vow anniversary and the anticipation of a twentieth, a piece of official optimism struck while the Goths remained largely undefeated on Roman soil. The Treaty of 382, which settled the Goths as autonomous federates rather than subdued subjects, was a direct consequence of that military reality.