Another nice looking fallen horseman of Constantius II. The reverse of this coin gives me the impression that this is an active scene. Many of this type of coin looks lifeless and dull but this one gives me an actual feeling of I’m watching it take place. It looks like the soldier is leaping while the horse is falling. And the big eyed Barbarian is teaching backwards while yelling. The coin has an excellent strike, great surfaces and is well centered. Constantius II, 337-361 AD AE Centenionalis, 23mm, 5.3g, 12h Heraclea Mint, 351-354 AD Obverse: DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed but right. Reverse: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, helmeted soldier to left, shield on left arm, spearing fallen horseman, shield on ground at right. Horseman turns to face soldier and raises right arm, horseman is bearded and bareheaded in left field // SMHA Reference: RIC VIII Heraclea 82 p. 436
Mine are ugly, but then again, the subject matter is ugly. CONSTANTIUS GALLUS RI Constantius Gallus Caesar 351-354 AE21 FEL TEMP REPARATIO soldier-spearing-fallen-horseman RIC 348 Siscia JULIAN II RI Julian II 360-363 CE Fallen Horseman AE3
Bronze coin (AE 3) minted at Siscia during the reign of CONSTANTIUS II between 355 - 361 A.D. Obv. D.N.CONSTAN-TIVS.P.F.AVG. Rev. FEL.TEMP.-REPARATIO. Helmeted soldier advancing l., shield on l. arm, spearing fallen horseman; shield on ground at r., horseman is beardless & wears cap, he falls forward on neck of horse. RCS #4010. DVM #100. LRBC #1231.
I recently found a nice Julian fallen horseman. It was really hard to photograph with the small size and desert patina. I’ve been temped to clean the high points a bit more but some exploratory rubbing shows that the sand is as hard as concrete and I don’t want to ruin it with scratches.
Thank you! I agree… but can’t help but see hints at the fabulous detail just under the dirt! Haha, risk/reward… I do however usually play it safe until I’m as certain as I can be I’m not going to make a coin worse. So it will likely stay like this.
Constantius Gallus, centenionalis from Antioch Constantius II (he wears a pearl-diadem). Does the barbarian horseman have stirrups? It's probably an illusion, I read somewhere that stirrups weren't invented yet...
While I have shown it many times, my favorite Falling Horseman is this Gallus from Amiens. It is very interesting in style, rare (show me yours) and has clashed dies. Most collectors would not touch it because it is faulty. I intend to find someone to give it to that won't send it to the junk box when I'm gone. If you don't love that face, you certainly have to admit that is some mullet.
I'm certain that there are several "someones" on this board. And yes, that's a mullet worthy of a good nightmare... Although I appreciate the falling horseman, I like the other FEL TEMP types better: Constantius Gallus, Roman Empire, AE2, 351–355 AD, Constantinople mint. Obv: DN FL CL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAE; bust of Constantius Gallus, bare-headed, draped, cuirassed, r. Ref: FEL TEMP REPARATIO; Roman soldier l. spearing fallen horseman; in in fields, Γ•; in exergue, CONSB. 24mm, 4.20g. Ref: RIC VIII Constantinople 107. Procopius, Roman Empire, AE3, 365–366 AD, Constantinople mint. Obv: D N PROCOPIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, draped and cuirassed bust l. Rev: REPARATIO FEL TEMP, Procopius standing l., head r., holding labarum and resting hand on shield set on ground; Chi-Rho in upper r. field, unidentified object by l. foot; in exergue CONSS•. 19mm, 2.86g. Ref: RIC IX Constantinople 17a. Constantius II, Roman Empire, AE3, 348–352 AD, Constantinople mint. Obv: D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG; bust of Constantius II, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: FEL TEMP REPARATIO; phoenix, radiate, standing r. on globe; in exergue, CONSA. 17mm, 2.36g. RIC VIII Constantinople 93. Constans, Roman Empire, AE4, 348–350 AD, Trier mint. Obv: D N CONSTANS P F AVG; bust of Constans, pearl-diademed, draped, cuirassed, r. Rev: FEL•TEMP•REPARATIO; phoenix, radiate, standing r. on rocky mound; in exergue, TRP•. 16mm, 2.33g. Ref: RIC VIII Treveri 228. Constans, Roman Empire, AE3, 348–350 AD, Trier mint. Obv: D N CONSTANS P F AVG; bust of Constans, rosette-diademed, draped, cuirassed, l., holding globe in r. hand. Rev: FEL•TEMP•REPARATIO; soldier, helmeted, draped, cuirassed, advancing r., head l., leading small bare-headed figure from a hut beneath a tree with r. hand and holding spear in l. hand; in exergue, *PLG•. 20mm, 3.66g. Ref: RIC VIII Lugdunum 88.
How about a barbarous imitative of the same type as the OP? I have a few of the same type as the OP (I am not sure why I have so many...) but I have one that would be quite nice at least from a portrait perspective but there must have been a double strike here where some of the copper that was needed to fill all of the hair was flattened by a previous strike. The second, solid strike has left a good imprint but there wasn't enough copper there to allow all the hair detail to be struck up. Either that or the emperor has a very different hairstyle to normal.
How about a coin of Constantius Gallus tormenting a soldier with a metal lamp pull chain? (Bronze) AE2 Constantinople mint, first series Obv: D N FL CL CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES Rev: FEL TEMP R-EPARATIO - Soldier spearing fallen enemy horseman CONSA in exergue; Γ• in left field RIC 107 22mm, 4.7g
Whether the emperor is stabbing the horse of the soldier also seems to vary from mint to mint and engraver to engraver. Here are a few reaching types illustrating what I have seen..... Horse.... At the join of the horse and soldier... so horse Moving into the soldier at the waist Chest of Soldier Shoulder There are variation in position for clutching types too Lower back Through to upper back
I have never seen one with the horse being stabbed in the head but other options head to tail and everything inbetween are available.
