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Nummus - Maxentius CONSERV URB SVAE, Rome
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 310-311 |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a hexastyle Roman temple shown in three-quarter perspective, with a triangular pediment, columns, and stepped podium rendered in fine detail. Within the temple, a she-wolf with Romulus and Remus is shown at center, referencing the legendary founding of Rome. The legend CONSERV VRB SVAE (Conservatores Urbis Suae, 'Defender of His City') runs around the periphery. In the exergue appears the mint mark REP (with variants including REQ, RES, or RET depending on officina), and a prefix letter H or P may appear in the field to the left of the temple. The overall composition is a bold statement of Maxentius's special association with Rome as its patron and protector. |
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| Additional information |
Maxentius ruled Italy and Africa from 306 to 312 without ever being recognized as legitimate by the Tetrarchic college — a usurper by their definition, though he controlled Rome itself. The CONSERV VRB SVAE reverse type was his direct answer to that political isolation, an explicit claim that he, not Galerius or Constantine, was the true preserver of the city. He exploited Rome's symbolic weight aggressively, reopening the city mint and invoking the Eternal City's prestige at a moment when most emperors hadn't governed from Rome in decades.
RIC VI 258 places this issue in the final stretch before Milvian Bridge ended his reign in October 312.