Nummus - Theodosius I VOT X MVLT XX, Cyzicus

The VOT X MVLT XX legend marks this coin as issued in anticipation of Theodosius I's decennial vows — the traditional Roman ceremony in which an emperor formally gave thanks for completing ten years of rule and made pledges toward the next. Theodosius had been elevated in January 379 following the catastrophic Gothic defeat at Adrianople, inheriting an empire in acute military crisis. The Cyzicus mint, situated on the Propontis in what is now northwestern Turkey, was one of several eastern workshops churning out these small bronzes in volume during his consolidation of power.