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Solidus - Constantinus I PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 324-325 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Reverse description | Constantine II as Caesar, draped and standing facing, head turned to the left, holding in his right hand a long standard surmounted by an eagle and in his left hand a sceptre inclined slightly to the right. A second standard surmounted by a hand appears to the right of the figure. The composition is rendered in the hieratic, frontal style characteristic of Constantinian court art. The mint mark SMN appears in the exergue, identifying the Nicomedia mint. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Struck at Nicomedia in the immediate aftermath of Constantine's defeat of Licinius at the Battle of Chrysopolis in September 324, this solidus belongs to a celebratory emission marking the elevation of Crispus and Constantine II as senior and junior Caesars respectively. The PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS reverse type — "to the prince of youth" — was a traditional honorific revived deliberately to signal dynastic continuity at a moment when Constantine had just eliminated his last rival and stood sole ruler of a reunified empire.
Nicomedia had been Licinius's administrative capital. Striking coinage there within months of the conquest was not incidental.