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Semissis - Galla Placidia SALVS REI PVBLICAE, Ravenna
| Issuer | Western Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 430-455 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Solidus |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Pearl-diademed, draped bust of Empress Galla Placidia facing right, adorned with necklace and drop earrings, with a cross motif visible on the shoulder. The effigy is rendered in the late Roman imperial tradition, with delicate drapery folds and jewelled ornaments conveying regal authority. The obverse legend runs clockwise around the bust in Latin capitals within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | SALVS REI - PVBLICAE COMOB |
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| Additional information |
Galla Placidia governed the Western Empire as regent for her son Valentinian III from 425, holding real power through a court at Ravenna that was simultaneously under military pressure from the Visigoths to the west and Attila's Huns to the northeast. The SALVS REI PVBLICAE reverse type — invoking the salvation of the state — had been in continuous use since the late fourth century, but its appearance on gold fractions under a female regency carries an uncomfortable irony: the state it advertised as saved was losing province after province.
RIC X 2054 is attributed specifically to the Ravenna mint. Semisses of this period survive in far smaller numbers than contemporary solidi, partly a function of original production volume.