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Nummus - Diocletianus GENIO POPVLI ROMANI, Antioch
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 299-300 |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and cuirassed bust of Emperor Diocletian facing right, depicted with a short beard and strong, authoritative profile characteristic of the Tetrarchic artistic style. The emperor wears a radiate or laurel wreath and segmented cuirass with visible pauldron detail. The encircling Latin legend reads IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG, running clockwise around the rim. The portrait is rendered in the bold, schematic manner typical of late third-century Roman imperial coinage, emphasizing power and authority over naturalistic likeness. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG (Translation: The emperor Caius Diocletianus, pious, fortunate emperor.) |
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| Additional information |
Struck at Antioch during the final years of the First Tetrarchy, this issue belongs to the reform coinage Diocletian introduced after 294 AD to stabilize a currency system that had been debased nearly to worthlessness over the preceding half-century. The Antioch mint was one of the most productive eastern workshops under the Tetrarchy, operating multiple officinae simultaneously to satisfy demand across the eastern provinces.
The ANT mint mark with officina letter places this piece precisely within a well-documented sequence. By 305, Diocletian would abdicate — the first Roman emperor to do so voluntarily — and the careful monetary order he built began unraveling almost immediately.