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Solidus - Constantius II GLORIA REIPVBLICAE, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint, Nicomedia |
|---|---|
| Year | 340-351 |
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| Currency | Solidus, Reform of Constantine (AD 310/324 – 395) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents an elaborate allegorical composition in which the personifications of Roma and Constantinopolis are depicted enthroned, symbolizing the dual capitals of the Roman Empire. Roma, helmeted and draped, is seated facing front and holds a spear in her left hand, while Constantinopolis, draped and similarly enthroned, turns her head to the left and rests her right foot upon a ship's prow, holding a sceptre in her left hand. Between the two figures, both jointly support an inscribed votive shield bearing the legend VOT XX MVLT XXX. The exergue carries the mint signature of the Nicomedian officina. The composition celebrates Constantius II's vow inscriptions and the enduring glory of the Roman state through this masterfully engraved late antique design. |
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| Mintage | ND (340-351) - 1st officina (SMNP) - ND (340-351) - 2nd Officina (SMNB) - ND (340-351) - 2nd Officina (SMNS) - ND (340-351) - 3rd Officina (SMNC) - ND (340-351) - 3rd Officina (SMNT) - ND (340-351) - 5th Officina (SMN∈) - |
| Additional information |
Nicomedia served as one of the principal mints of the eastern empire throughout Constantius II's long sole reign, and the GLORIA REIPVBLICAE solidi struck there fall within a period of sustained dynastic violence — the 340s opened with Constans defeating and killing their brother Constantine II at Aquileia, leaving just two Augusti to divide the empire. Constantius spent much of this decade simultaneously managing the Persian frontier under Shapur II and consolidating political control over an administration still reorganizing after Constantine the Great's death in 337.
RIC VIII #33 places this type firmly within the Nicomedian sequence established under the reformed late Roman coinage system, where mint-mark officina letters allow attribution to specific workshop teams.