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Solidus - Valens RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE, Nicomedia
| Issuer | Roman Empire (27 BC - 395 AD) |
|---|---|
| Year | 364-367 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.41 g |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The emperor stands in three-quarter view facing right, clad in military dress with paludamentum, holding an elaborately decorated Chi-Rho labarum standard in his left hand and a small figure of Victory standing on a globe in his outstretched right hand. The composition conveys imperial authority and divine favour in the established late Roman solidus tradition. The mint mark SMNΘ appears in the exergue, identifying this piece as a product of the ninth officina of the Nicomedia mint. The encircling legend RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE runs around the periphery of the reverse field. |
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| Additional information |
Valens was elevated to co-emperor by his brother Valentinian I in March 364, just weeks after Valentinian himself had been proclaimed Augustus following the death of Jovian. The RESTITVTOR REIPVBLICAE type was a deliberate propaganda choice for a new regime with no dynastic claim — the brothers needed to project stabilizing authority fast. Nicomedia's mint, one of the most active eastern workshops of the fourth century, was central to supplying the Danubian and eastern frontier armies that Valens would spend his entire reign trying to hold.