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A Dalmatius with a remarkably Constantinian bust
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<p>[QUOTE="seth77, post: 5245118, member: 56653"]This is, I think, an interesting coin and a rather scarce one:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1218318[/ATTACH]</p><p>Dalmatius as Caesar (335-337)</p><p>AE3/4 17mm 2.76g, reduced follis/nummus, minted at Antioch, in the autumn of 335.</p><p>FL DELMA - TIVS NOB C; laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right.</p><p>GLOR - IA EXERC - ITVS; Soldiers with two standards between them.</p><p>SMANI in exergue</p><p>RIC VII Antioch 90, R3</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And now for the interesting part -- the bust looks exactly like the common eastern depiction of Constantine I -- which points to two possibilities (and/or): 1. the die cutters had no image of Dalmatius to use as a model to work for the coinage in his name, 2. the effigy was used in a Tetrarchic way, to suggest the imperial institution rather than individualize this particular member. And by 330 this was the face of the imperial institution: an idealized standardization of the image of Constantine the Great. Of course, Dalmatius was raised in the West and even after his elevation as Caesar, his domain was mainly the Balkans with the headquarters in Thessalonica. He was far removed from Antioch and his closest link to the Eastern Levant area was his all-powerful uncle and his image.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Another aspect that makes this coin worthwhile is that it is of the type with two standards, which is rare for Dalmatius, as he was elevated in autumn 335, not long before the base metal coinage shrunk to a smaller standard that only accommodates one legionary standard between the military figures.</p><p><br /></p><p>So this was a brief issue of remarkable quality, using Constantine's effigy for a junior ruling partner.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="seth77, post: 5245118, member: 56653"]This is, I think, an interesting coin and a rather scarce one: [ATTACH=full]1218318[/ATTACH] Dalmatius as Caesar (335-337) AE3/4 17mm 2.76g, reduced follis/nummus, minted at Antioch, in the autumn of 335. FL DELMA - TIVS NOB C; laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right. GLOR - IA EXERC - ITVS; Soldiers with two standards between them. SMANI in exergue RIC VII Antioch 90, R3 And now for the interesting part -- the bust looks exactly like the common eastern depiction of Constantine I -- which points to two possibilities (and/or): 1. the die cutters had no image of Dalmatius to use as a model to work for the coinage in his name, 2. the effigy was used in a Tetrarchic way, to suggest the imperial institution rather than individualize this particular member. And by 330 this was the face of the imperial institution: an idealized standardization of the image of Constantine the Great. Of course, Dalmatius was raised in the West and even after his elevation as Caesar, his domain was mainly the Balkans with the headquarters in Thessalonica. He was far removed from Antioch and his closest link to the Eastern Levant area was his all-powerful uncle and his image. Another aspect that makes this coin worthwhile is that it is of the type with two standards, which is rare for Dalmatius, as he was elevated in autumn 335, not long before the base metal coinage shrunk to a smaller standard that only accommodates one legionary standard between the military figures. So this was a brief issue of remarkable quality, using Constantine's effigy for a junior ruling partner.[/QUOTE]
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