Featured Flavius HONORIUS (395-423 AD)

At that time they say that the Emperor Honorius in Ravenna received the message from one of the eunuchs, evidently a keeper of the poultry, that Rome had perished. And he cried out and said, 'And yet it has just eaten from my hands!' For he had a very large cock, Rome by name; and the eunuch comprehending his words said that it was the city of Rome which had perished at the hands of Alaric, and the emperor with a sigh of relief answered quickly: 'But I, my good fellow, thought that my fowl Rome had perished.' So great, they say, was the folly with which this emperor was possessed."

Procopius, The Vandalic War (III.2.25-26)



After a very interesting thread by @seth77 about Theodosius I, why not talking about another Emperor in the category "low profile" : Honorius. He was in fact the younger son of Theodosius and Aelia Flaccilla. Born in 384 AD, he was named Augustus in 393 at the age of 8 years old. On the death of his father, 2 years later, he inherited the West with Stilicho as regent. The beginning of the 5th century saw an unprecedented wave of invasions. When the Visigoths invaded Italy in AD 401, Honorius fled Milan and moved the imperial court to the more defensible city of Ravenna. There, surrounded by protective marshes, he abandoned Italy to the barbarians, the limes finally gave in under the pressure. In 410, Rome was even taken. The Western Empire is in full decomposition. Many usurpations took place in Brittany with Constantinus III, in Gaul with Constans, Jovinus and Sébastianus, in Spain with Maximus and in Italy with Attalus. Honorius died in Ravenna in 423 after thirty years of reign, leaving a disintegrated empire.


Consular diptych of Probus Anicius, consul in 406, depicting emperor Honorius

I only have one specimen of Honorius' coinage, but i discovered some interesting details about it :
Honorius Ae2 Costantinople
22mm. 4.30g
DN HONORI-VS PF AVG
GLORIA ROMANORVM
CONS 392-395 RIC 88d

Honorius coins minted between 393, the date of his appointment, and 395 are rare. After this date, the Constantinople mint hardly minted large modulus bronze coins any more and became part of the domain of Arcadius. The workshop operates with four officinaes. What's special with this coin is the broken obverse legend. RIC volume IX says about it :


So that's the reason why it is a R5 coin !



What's funny about this coin is that I found it in an uncleaned lot bought a few years ago. It soaked for month in my "potion magique" before I could identify it with precision: not too bad for a bunch of pieces I paid 50$. Now knowing its rarity, maybe I could get 20$ for it, a good return on my investment !

Please show us your coin of this low profile emperor, HONORIUS.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Your coin is minted in the first half of 395, after the demise of Theodosius and the form of the obverse legend shows that. The break in legend is usually reserved for senior emperors, which is mostly why the first part of issues for Honorius ca. 393-395 have an unbroken legend DN HONORIVS PF AVG. This AE2 type was discontinued soon after the death of Theodosius, but by that time Honorius was already a senior emperor in the West and the mint at Constantinople had just enough time to strike some coins with this new obverse legend form.

Your coin is not just scarce or rare, it's very rare and historically important.

 

Thanks for the write up, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix

Here's my little follis of Honorius:

 

Wow, @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix , nice write up. And, according to @seth77 , you have a fantastic coin! Big wow!

This is all I got.

HONORIUS


RI Honorius 393-343 AE3 15mm Arcadius and Honorius Stdg

 

That is most definitely a keeper, Ocat! Great coin!

Here's my only eastern mint Honorius:


I have a few VRBS ROMA FELIX from the Rome mint, which I wrote about here. This one is my favourite:

 

I chose a couple bronze of this Emperor. The first was struck at Nicomedia, the second was issued at Antioch mint. Hope they fit here.

 

Here's the reverse of the coin struck at Antioch.

 

That's a rare and interesting coin! If I were you, I'd definitely keep it – an example that would look good in pretty much any late Roman collection.

My best Honorius, though sitting on horseback, is much more pedestrian:

Honorius, Roman Empire, AE3, 392–395 AD, Cyzicus mint. Obv: DN HONORIVS PF AVG; bust of Honorius, draped, cuirassed, and diademed, r. Rev: GLORIA ROMANORVM; emperor on horseback r., raising r. hand; in exergue, SMKA. 17mm, 1.80g. Ref: RIC IX Cyzicus 29c.

 

The VRBS ROMA FELIX is top notch.

 

HONORIUS, Solidus
Constantinople, 403-408
4.45 g - 21 mm
S 4242 v. - C 3 - RIC X 30
DN HONORIVS PF AVG, Helmeted, diademed and cuirassed bust of Honorius facing, holding spear over his right shoulder and with shield, ornamented with a horseman spearing a fallen foe, over his left.
CONCORDIA AVGGGI, Constantinopolis seated facing on throne, her head to right, wearing helmet, holding a spear with her right hand, Victory on a globus in her left, and with her right foot on a prow. In field to left, star.

 

Facing portrait bronze of Honorius....from the bargain bin

 

The term "rare" is thrown around here so much that it really is becoming meaningless....
"Rare, it's very rare and historically important."
Not in this case. This is what the term should be reserved for. Congratulations!

 

here is my Honorius from Nicomedia 395-401 :
D N HONORIVS P F AVG - Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right
VIRTVS EXERCITI - Honorius standing right with spear & shield, being crowned by Victory; SMNB in exergue, * right in middle
RIC X, page 246, #65