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Nummus - Crispus as Caesar CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, Arelate
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint, Arelate |
|---|---|
| Year | 322-323 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Bare-shouldered, laureate bust of Crispus as Caesar facing right, rendered in the clean Constantinian style typical of the Arelate mint. The laureate wreath is depicted with fine detail, its ties visible at the nape of the neck. The portrait presents a youthful, idealized effigy with well-defined facial features. The encircling Latin legend reads CRISPVS NOB CAES, divided across the field, identifying the subject as a Noble Caesar. |
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| Reverse description | The votive legend CAESARVM NOSTRORVM VOT X is displayed in two or three lines within a laurel wreath, celebrating the ten-year vow (votum decennale) of the Caesars. The wreath is tied at the base with a decorative knot. The officina letter followed by a star and the mint abbreviation AR appear in the exergue, identifying the Arelate mint workshop responsible for the issue. |
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| Additional information |
Crispus, Constantine's eldest son and a capable military commander who had recently distinguished himself defeating the Franks on the Rhine, was struck from the historical record entirely in 326 AD when his father ordered his execution — the reasons remain genuinely disputed, with ancient sources pointing variously to a plot alleged by his stepmother Fausta, who was herself killed by Constantine shortly afterward. Coins issued in his name were subject to damnatio memoriae, meaning surviving examples were actively removed from circulation and destroyed, which accounts for the relative difficulty of assembling a complete type series for his Caesarship issues.