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Solidus - Theodosius II IMP XXXXII COS, Constantinopolis
| Issuer | Eastern Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 441-450 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The personification of Constantinopolis is depicted enthroned facing left, her left foot resting on the prow of a ship, symbolizing naval dominion. She holds a globus cruciger in her right hand and a scepter in her left, with a small round shield resting on the ground at her right side. A star appears in the left field. The reverse legend records the consular and imperial acclamation titles, with the mint control mark CONOB in the exergue denoting pure gold struck at Constantinople. |
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| Additional information |
Theodosius II held the consulship more times than any other Roman emperor — a record that speaks less to personal ambition than to the political theater of an office increasingly stripped of real function. The XXXXII consular dating on this issue places it within the final decade of his reign, a period dominated by the relentless pressure of Hunnic incursions under Attila, which forced Constantinople to pay tribute measured in hundreds of pounds of gold annually.
The Constantinople mint maintained exceptional consistency in solidus production throughout this period, partly because the treasury needed gold coinage to literally buy peace.