A bearded Crispus

Constantine I's eldest son Crispus was killed in 326, when he was about 21 years old. On his many coins Crispus is depicted youthful and clean shaven. However, on the below follis, Crispus is depicted with something like a beard (or side burns/ light beard growth on his cheek), which is rather unusual.

I have more than 35 Crispus folles, but this one is the only that shows Crispus sporting something like a beard. It must be a scarcer bust variety.

I would be interested to see other coins of Constantine I or his sons with beards. I know there are coins of Constantine I, showing him with moustache, but are there more examples for Crispus, Constantine II or Constantius II?

FL IVL CRISPVS NOB CAES // PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS

 

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Macrinus is not impressed.

 

Coincidentally, last evening I was looking at one of my Constantine II Rome issues displaying what we used to refer to as sideburns (perhaps still do?) similar to your portrait.
Constantine II, 337 – 340. Rome, 337-40. Ae, 1.87 gr. 16.1 mm. 5h.
Obv: VIC CONSTA – [N]TINVS AVG. Rosette diademed, cuirassed bust right.
Rev: VIRTVS AVGVSTI, emperor standing facing, head right, holding spear and resting hand on shield;
R (leaf) [P] in exergue. RIC VIII, 4, p. 249.

 

These are the kind of details that seem like they'd be the first ones to go with wear from circulation and (possibly) corrosion.

 

Very nice! Looks like this was a speciality of the mint of Rome.

 

Tejas, Calling that long "sideburn" a beard is a stretch .

 

True, but bearded Crispus sounded better than Crispus with sideburns. Anyway, I have searched far and wide, but could not find a second example with this particular feature.

I think the sideburns were added to emphasize that Crispus was a young adult and not a child anymore. I like this particular portrait a lot.

 

Tejas, Your Crispus follis has an exceptional portrait considering the size of the coin, (17-18 mm ?) . I have one early coin of Constantine I, struck at the Trier Mint that may depict him with some light facial hair around the chin & under his nose . I've seen coins of Constantine I with a full beard & moustache struck at remote Balkan Mints.


Constantine I, circa AD 306/7, Trier Mint, 1st Officina, AE Follis: 27 mm, 9.50 gm, 6 h.

 

Interesting Crispus. I've never seen one with evidence of facial hair, like yours.

 

Very cool! I don't have any Constantinian portraits with unusual facial hair, but I do have a Sev Alex sporting a clear moustache (very unusual for him):


It's my Movember coin.

 

It’s kinda hard to see with my phone photos and the rougher condition of the coins… but both of my Rome campgate Crispi (RT & RQ, in addition to your RS) have the sweet sweet sideburns. I’ll check my others later for more stylin facial hair.

 

The only other one I could pick out easily was this ugly Constans galley FEL TEMP from Trier with sideburns.

Trier RIC VIII 219

 

Alexander Severus' coins show all stages of development from no facial hair to a full beard. Your beautiful coin shows this transition very nicely.

 

Further evidence that sideburns appear mainly on coins of the Rome mint. Very interesting.

 

I just checked about 50 coins of Crispus, Constantine II, and Constantius II and didn't find anything like sideburns.


Common BEATA TRANQVILLITAS of Crispus. 18 mm.
Bust left with spear over far shoulder and shield, clean shaven with no sideburns.
RIC VII Trier 372 "C2" (very common, "322-323").

 

CRISPUS


RI Crispus 317-326 CE AE Folles Caesar in Trier Campgate - Heraclea mint

I dunno folks, I know that if you repeatedly lie to folks, over and over, they will blindly and stupidly believe it.

So, take a look at Crispus in my pic, see the shadowing and rough texture, then squint your eyes! He has a full beard!

Let me repeat:
Take a look at Crispus in my pic, see the shadowing and rough texture, then squint your eyes! He has a full beard!

Let me repeat again:
Take a look at Crispus in my pic, see the shadowing and rough texture, then squint your eyes! He has a full beard!

Repeat:
Take a look at Crispus in my pic, see the shadowing and rough texture, then squint your eyes! He has a full beard!

Ok, now the lie is real! Amazing!

 

Thanks all for showing your coins with beards, sideburns and moustaches. I think besides the obvious art- and culture historical interest, the appearance of facial hair on Crispus’ coins from the mint of Rome may in rare cases have the practical value in helping to identify the mint.

In any case, I will now look out for a clean shaven Postumus

 

I just discovered that there may be more to the representation of facial hair on Roman coins than just fashion. I' m reading an article "Depositio Barbae Das Kaiserzeitliche Bartfest als Initiationsritus" by Christopher Degelmann.

There was a cultic ceremony or rite of passage (barbartoria - beard festifal) which involved the first-time wearing of the men's toga (toga virilis) and the first time public shaving of facial hair (depositio barbae). The barbartoria ended a male Roman's time as boy (puer) and marked the beginning of his time as man (vir).

The barbartoria took place at the age of around 15 years and it is recorded for several Roman emperors. After the barbartoria a free Roman man could wear a full beard or go clean shaven, according to current fashion. However, the slight facial hair with side burns or slight moustaches indicated that he has not yet had the barbartoria.

The barbaroria was a pagan festival. It may have been on the retreat at the time of Crispus, but according to the sources a certain Paulinus of Nora sacrificed his first beard (prima barba) as late as AD 381. So it is possible, that the Roman mint or at least one celator at the Roman mint was pagan and indicated Crispus' status as "puer", who was not yet a "vir", by adding the "prima barba" (sideburns) to his portrait.

Maybe this could help to date the coin. Crispus was born in 305, styled Caesar in 317 (as a boy of 12 years). Maybe the coin dates to a time before he was 15, or at least before the time of the barbartoria, i.e. before say AD 320. In any case, we may expect depictions of Roman rulers who held formal office als children, to progress from beardless child-portraits until the age of say 13/14, a short period of "prima barba", i.e. first youthful facial hair just before the barbatoria at the age of say 15 and afterwards to be either clean shaven or with beards.

 

But the PROVIDENTIA campgate starts at Rome in 324 when Crispus was already a man and a soldier, on his way to becoming the hero of Hellespont.

 

That kills my theory. In 324 Crispus was 19 years old, if he was born in 305. At 19 he would certainly have been considered a man. Strange though that he would be depicted with the barba prima, the first beard at this age.
Apparently there is a lot of uncertainty about his year of birth. It could be as late as 307, meaning that he may have been only 17 in 324 and maybe still considered an adolescent youth.
Is the year 324 for the start of the PROVIDENTIA series certain?