Hi all! I saw this on eBay, and am intrigued by the reverse, as it is a design I have never seen before on Roman imperial coins. I don't intend to buy it (bidding starts at £300), but am interested to learn what the reverse represents. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them Thanks!
there has been a lot of speculation about this reverse over the years and the short of it is that nobody knows for sure, though RIC describes it as Sol in the middle of a Roman camp. Quote from a post I made in 2012 about this type-- "RIC describes the reverse of this coin as Sol in the middle of a Roman camp, but I have long been in doubt of that. The problem is that Roman camps seem to always be rectangular or square. I have seen many fanciful alternate ideas of what the reverse might represent, however it definitely has something to do with the army because of the reverse legend (VIRT EXERC) which translates to "Valor of the Army". I would also venture that it might be specific to the army in Thessalonica, as this type was only struck in that city. Constantine was also in residence in the city at the time (he stayed in Thessalonica for almost a year after his victory over Licinius), so that was probably also a reason for the special type, but it seems most definitely to be a type for the military. As to what it actually represents, we may never know. I suspect it might be a depiction of a statue or shrine that was favored by the military, set on some sort of pedestal in Thessalonica."
@Victor_Clark , our resident expert for all things late Roman, has already said more about the possible meaning of this reverse than I could have. I know that you don't plan on bidding on this coin, Harry, but I feel it's necessary to point out to everyone else who is reading this that this particular type is heavily faked. Personally, I would trust the example shown in the OP only as far as I can throw a woolly mammoth. This is probably not the type of coin you should try to buy on ebay. Caveat emptor!
The 1st image below of a reconstructed Roman stockade supports the RIC interpretation. Personally, however, I like to think of the design as a representation of Constantine's famous vision of a cross superimposed on the sun (Sol) - a sundog, perhaps?, 2nd image - which led him to victory at the Milvian bridge. I realize that a measure of wishful thinking is involved but I like to think it none the less. Either way, a desirable type.
The OP is not Constantine I. It is his son, Constantine II. Here's one of Constantine I: Thessalonica mint, A.D. 319 RIC 66 Obv: CONSTAN-TIVS AVG Rev: VIRT EXERC - Camp plan (?), with Sol standing in the middle •TSΓ• in exergue 19 mm, 2.9 g. Notice how the bust of Constantine has split the obverse legend in half? On the OP the legend is unbroken.
A caltrop? noun plural noun: caltrops 1. a spiked metal device thrown on the ground to impede wheeled vehicles or (formerly) cavalry horses. We know the Romans and Byzantine armies used these. In fact in the military treatise The Strategikon of Maurice Tiberius they are specifically mentioned.
