Obverse. Photo © CoinArchives
  • 1 Follis 313 AD, RIC# VI 232b, Pannonia, Constantine the Great
  • 1 Follis 313 AD, RIC# VI 232b, Pannonia, Constantine the Great
Description

Constantine the Great (Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Augustus; 27 February c. 272 AD – 22 May 337 AD), also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine (in the Orthodox Church as Saint Constantine the Great, Equal-to-the-Apostles), was a Roman Emperor of Illyrian-Greek origin from 306 to 337 AD.

As emperor, Constantine enacted many administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to strengthen the empire. The government was restructured, and the civil and military authorities were separated. A new gold coin was introduced to combat inflation known as the solidus. It became the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years.

Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, and he played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313, which declared religious tolerance for Christianity in the Roman empire.

The age of Constantine marked a distinct epoch in the history of the Roman Empire. He built a new imperial residence at Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople after himself (the laudatory epithet of "New Rome" came later, and was never an official title). It became the capital of the Empire for more than a thousand years, with the later eastern Roman Empire now being referred to as the Byzantine Empire.

Obverse

Head of Constantine, laureate, right.

IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG (Imperator Constantinus Augustus)

IMP CONSTANTINVS AVG

Reverse

Jupiter standing left, holding victory and sceptre; eagle left, wreath in beak.

Jupiter was the most important Roman god, continuously evolving with Roman needs. As Rome developed into a city of commerce and military force, Jupiter evolved into a protector of the city and state of Rome. He was regarded as the guardian of public morality, being concerned with oaths treaties, alliances, and wars. He could be invoked through a variety of titles, each dependent on the responsibilities being requested of him: among others -- Jupiter Protector (Iovi Conservatori), as protector of the state or defenders.

Victoria (from vincere, to conquer) was the Roman personification of victory she was worshipped as a goddess but is more accurately described as a spirit, rather than a goddess.

IOVI CON-SERVATORI (Jupiter the Protector)
SIS (Siscia)

IOVI CON-SERVATORI
SIS

Edge -

1 Follis

RIC# VI 232b Cohen# 310
Characteristics
Production Hammering
Material Bronze
Weight 2.4 g
Diameter 22 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Mint
Siscia Mint (SIS)

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