Catalog
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| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint, Arelatum (Arles) |
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| Year | 332-333 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and cuirassed bust of Constantinus II as Caesar facing right, with paludamentum visible at the shoulder. The obverse legend CONSTANTI-NVS IVN N C runs along the outer border, identifying the emperor as Constantine the Younger, Most Noble Caesar. The portrait is rendered in the characteristically stylised late Roman manner, with bold facial features and a prominent laurel wreath. The coin shows heavy patination and surface corrosion consistent with an excavated bronze specimen, obscuring finer die details but leaving the bust profile discernible. |
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| Reverse description | Two helmeted soldiers standing facing one another, each holding a reversed spear in the outer hand and resting the inner hand upon a grounded shield; between them stand two military standards, each surmounted by an eagle or wreath finial. The reverse legend GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, reading 'Glory of the Army', is distributed around the upper field. The mint mark in the exergue identifies the Arelatum mint with officina designation (PCONST or SCONST). This two-standards variant is standard for the 332–333 period at Arelatum, consistent with RIC VII 366. |
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| Additional information |
The GLORIA EXERCITVS type — "Glory of the Army" — was introduced across the empire in the early 330s as Constantine I consolidated military loyalty ahead of the succession crisis he was engineering. Arelatum had been elevated to a primary western mint under Constantine, partly displacing Lugdunum, and by this point was producing coinage at considerable volume. Constantine II was named Caesar in 317 at roughly ten months old, making his titulature on these coins a political declaration rather than any reflection of military command.