Roman Empire Pannonia Constantius Gallus 1 Centenionalis

History

1 Centenionalis 351 AD, RIC# VIII 303, Pannonia, Constantius Gallus

Obverse. Photo © Sergei Novikov

Description

Constantius Gallus (Flavius Claudius Constantius Gallus) was a member of the Constantinian dynasty and Caesar of the Roman Empire (351–354). Gallus was consul three years, from 352 to 354.

The bronze centenionalis coins were the attempts of Constans and Constantius II to reintroduce a large bronze coin between 320 and 340 AD, as the follis had by then shrunk dramatically. The type of coin it was is uncertain, but numismatists have categorized large bronze coins of the above date under this denomination. The centenionalis, however, did not last long. By the end of Theodosius the Great's rule, only smaller varieties of bronze coins were minted (AE3 and AE4).

Obverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Constantius Gallus Constantius Gallus, laureate, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed bust right. DN CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C (Dominus Noster Constantius Iunior Nobilissimus Caesar) DN CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C
Reverse	Military Standard Symbol, amulet, talisman Chi-Rho Emperor standing left, holding labarum (Chi-Rho standard) in each hand, star above. III in the left field. The labarum (Greek: λάβαρον) was a vexillum (military standard) that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, a christogram formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ). It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. Since the vexillum consisted of a flag suspended from the crossbar of a cross, it was ideally suited to symbolize the crucifixion of Christ. CONCORDIA MILITVM ([Dedicated to] harmony with the soldiers) CONCORDIA MILITVM
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