Constantius II received the eastern provinces — Thrace, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt — following the division of the empire after Constantine I's death in May 337, but he spent the first years of his reign embroiled in a dynastic massacre that eliminated nearly all male relatives who might contest the succession. The solidus issues from Siscia during this narrow window predate his conflict with his brothers Constans and Constantine II, the latter killed at the Battle of Aquileia in 340.
Siscia was one of the most productive mints of the fourth century, strategically positioned on the Sava River in Pannonia. The RIC VIII.5 attribution places this piece among the earliest official gold of his sole eastern rule.
Constantius II received the eastern provinces — Thrace, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt — following the division of the empire after Constantine I's death in May 337, but he spent the first years of his reign embroiled in a dynastic massacre that eliminated nearly all male relatives who might contest the succession. The solidus issues from Siscia during this narrow window predate his conflict with his brothers Constans and Constantine II, the latter killed at the Battle of Aquileia in 340.
Siscia was one of the most productive mints of the fourth century, strategically positioned on the Sava River in Pannonia. The RIC VIII.5 attribution places this piece among the earliest official gold of his sole eastern rule.