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Solidus - Gratian CONCORDIA AVGGG, Constantinopolis
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
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| Year | 378-383 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.47 g |
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| Obverse description | Right-facing bust of Emperor Gratian, depicted in a finely detailed draped and cuirassed effigy, adorned with a rosette diadem composed of jeweled elements visible above the brow. The emperor's hair is elaborately rendered in layered, curling locks falling behind the ear, characteristic of late antique imperial portraiture. The paludamentum is fastened at the right shoulder with an ornate fibula, and the cuirass displays intricate surface decoration. The surrounding field carries the Latin imperial titulature legend, reading from left to right around the bust. |
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| Reverse description | The enthroned personification of Constantinopolis is depicted in three-quarter facing position, helmeted and robed, seated upon a lion-headed throne. In her right hand she holds a long scepter, while her left hand supports a globe; her right foot rests upon the prow of a galley, symbolizing naval supremacy. The reverse legend CONCORDIA AVGGG arcs across the upper field, proclaiming the concord of the three Augusti, while the mintmark CONOB appears in the exergue, with the officina letter to the right, indicating production at the Constantinople mint in fine gold. |
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| Additional information |
Gratian's solidi from Constantinople fall within one of the more turbulent stretches of late Roman military history. The reign ended abruptly in August 383 when Magnus Maximus, a general commanding troops in Britain, crossed to Gaul and triggered a usurpation that Gratian's own soldiers declined to resist — he was executed at Lugdunum shortly after. Coins struck across this five-year window therefore span a reign that opened with the catastrophe of Adrianople in 378, where Valens died and the Gothic question became permanently unanswerable.