... when some agressive looking guy yelled "Hey! Who are you looking at?!" So, a bit scared and hoping to avoid trouble, I immediately changed my viewing direction, gazing towards the heaven(s) and quickly went my way. Phew, that was a close one! Some context: I went through some of my coin images trying to tweek them, and got to this one: one of my favorite coins. The 'heavenly gaze' of Constatine may imply that his behaviour on Earth is governed by the Christian God, or - also because of his portrait with diadeem - refer to a monarchical tradition taken over from the Hellenistic rulers of the East. Nevertheless, a portrait style that is very different from earlier portraits and thus on itself interesting. Show your 'close one' coins, Constantine 'gaze' coins, or whatever you want to show. (In these grave times, we all could use a laugh now and then, right?? So please, keep it fun!!)
Many years ago, when I was a wise guy, I was walking to the store and a guy yells, "What you looking at buddy?" I replied, "Someone who might be looking up at me from the ground." He took a swing at me, so I put him on the ground.
In your description, you have palm branch in each hand, which is the RIC description; but if you look closely you will note that the branches are different. It seems more like a palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand.
Nice one! Mine has that funny glossy black patina that looks lovely in hand, but is darn near impossible to photograph properly - the patina buildup around the reverse devices doesn't look quite as distracting. Extra fascinating is that nearly a thousand years later, the Artuqid leader Qutb al din il Gazhi II found one of these coins, and decided to use it himself
@Victor_Clark I think you are on to something. Surely the Romans in the 3rd/4th century were familiar with Alexandrine and Seleucid tetradrachm portraits and may have used them as a basis for the "eyes to heaven" series. Note the eyes to heaven stare of Antiochus I on this coin. Antiochus II Theos Tetradrachm Struck 261-246 BCE at Seleucia on the Tigris 16.87 grams 28mm in diameter. Obverse depicts Antiochus II's father, Antiochus I Soter.
Thanks Victor_Clark. It seems so, indeed. The more clear examples show this better. In the right hand of the victory, the leafs seem to be attached on a stick, and the upper end. In the left hand, the leafs seem to be from top to bottom on the branch. The leafs look different too. For example, CNG, 2007:
NO Eyes Up... RI Fausta 325-326 CE AE3 Spes stdg 2 infants SMHA 20mm 3.48g scratch over eye was declared damnatio memoriae by Constantine
Same style portrait of Constantine I with a different reverse: Heraclea mint, A.D. 327-329 RIC 92 Obv: CONSTANTINVS AVG Rev: D N CONSTANTINI MAX AVG - Laurel wreath enclosing VOT/XXX •SMHA in exergue 19 mm, 2.9 g.
At some point some numismatic scholar decided that these coins were 'eyes to heaven'. Rotating the coin a bit clockwise puts the eyes forward but shows the head in a dynamic, forward progressive pose rather than the static upright, normal alignment. It would be nice to know whether Constantine looked at one of these coins and how he 'read' it.
I totally agree Doug ... but you have to admit they're different and interesting, at least numismatically. These types even made it to Byzantine times. Here's one of Justin I:
Actually it was decided before then, at least according to Eusebius-- "How deeply his soul was impressed by the power of divine faith may be understood from the circumstance that he directed his likeness to be stamped on the golden coin of the empire with eyes uplifted as in the posture of prayer to God: and this money became current throughout the Roman world." Eusebius (IV.15)
Same as the OP coin. One of my favorite LRBs, for both the 'Eyes to Heaven' obverse portrait and the interesting reverse type. CONSTANTINE I AE3. 3.12g, 20mm. Constantinople mint, AD 328. RIC VII Constantinople 32. O: CONSTANTI-NVS MAX AVG, rosette-diademed head of Constantine right, looking up to the heavens. R: CONSTANTINI-ANA DAFNE, Victory seated left on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking right, spurning a captive kneeling left with head turned right; a shield at her foot and a trophy before her; gamma in left field, CONS in exergue.
That does make it sound correct. I can't vouch for everything in Eusebius but this does make sense unless it was inspired by Alexander the Great and interpreted in a Christian manner by Eusebius.
Edited Quote from other member Never needed a weapon back in the day and most people avoided getting into a confrontation with me because of my size.
Some lovely coins shown, thanks! That no eyes type is particularly creepy @Alegandron! Thanks for your insights Dougsmit. When it comes to 'sources', I'm dependent on online sources mostly. I have some books, but not on this matter. So I have to do with the parts of books that google books gives me, for example, on this topic. Its an interesting part of the book by Jonathan Bardill, Constantine, Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age. The writer too argues that the iconography was derived from Alexander the Great. On a different matter. I just realized I wrote 'grocey' store in the topic. A translation mistake, missing the 'r'. Or perhaps Im becoming a bit dyslectic. I dont know. Luckily grocey it not some kind of nasty word... !
Thank you. Yes, it is purdy creepy. I got it because of that. Sometimes folks will say that they may not be damnatios, however, there is a definite sentiment by the person transacting the coin to deface it.