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<p>[QUOTE="Victor_Clark, post: 7811241, member: 10613"]I recently got a SPES PVBLIC for Constantine I. This coin is the only bronze coin with explicit Christian imagery as part of the design, rather than merely a field mark or occasional design on shield or helmet. It was part of a series of coinage struck in Constantinople after the defeat of Licinius I. These coins were also only struck for Constantine I.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> “Four entirely new types were created for Constantine, GLORIA EXERCITVS, GLORIA ROMANORVM, LIBERTAS PVBLICA, and SPES PVBLIC…Here the reverses record a summing up of the Civil War II, the glory of the army constituting the glory of the Empire, the death of the tyrant (SPES PVBLIC) granting liberty for all.” (RIC VII pg 567) The next issue, DAFNE was also only struck for Constantine and should also be included in this special commemorative coinage.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1341899[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I</p><p>A.D. 327-8</p><p>18x19mm 3.2g </p><p>CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right.</p><p>GLORIA EXERCITVS; Soldier holding reversed spear in right, left hand on shield S in left field.</p><p> in ex. CONS </p><p>RIC VII Constantinople 22</p><p><br /></p><p>Ex-Peter Weiß</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1341902[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I</p><p>A.D. 327</p><p>19mm 3.3gm</p><p>CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right.</p><p>GLORIA ROMANORVM; Roma seated on a shield, holding a long sceptre, Victory on a globe in right hand, A in left field.</p><p>in ex. CONS</p><p>RIC VII Constantinople 17</p><p><br /></p><p>Ex-Peter Weiß</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1341905[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I</p><p>A.D. 327-8 </p><p>20mm 3.0g</p><p>CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right </p><p>LIBERTAS PVBLICA; Victory standing left on galley, wreath in both hands; in left field B.</p><p>in ex. CONS </p><p>RIC VII Constantinople 25</p><p><br /></p><p>the LIBERTAS type with galley alludes to the naval victory of Crispus and his subsequent capture of Byzantium. </p><p><br /></p><p>Zosimus said that Constantine's fleet had 200 ships and Licinius had 350 ships. Zosimus might have exaggerated, but all sources agreed that Constantine's fleet was greatly outnumbered. What accounted for the surprise victory of Constantine's forces? Could it have been that Constantine had better trained sailors...maybe divine providence? A papyrus letter from circa A.D. 323, gives an answer. The letter is from a procurator who said that the government of Egypt had an urgent requirement of box and acanthus wood for repair of the men-at-war vessels in the arsenals of Memphis and Babylon. Egypt sent a total of 130 ships to serve in the navy of Licinius, but it seems that they were all old tubs! (C. H. Roberts, “A Footnote to the Civil War of A.D. 324.” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 31 (1945) : 113)</p><p><br /></p><p>Palladas, a fourth-century pagan poet, wrote mockingly about the city of Constantinople and coins with Victories-- "Here we are, the Victories, the laughing maidens, bearing victories to the Christ-loving city. Those who loved the city fashioned us, stamping figures appropriate to the victories." (Anth. Plan. 282)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1341909[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I</p><p>A.D. 327</p><p>19mm 2.6g</p><p>CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right</p><p>SPES PVBLIC; Chi-Rho atop standard of 3 medallions impaling snake, in left field A.</p><p>in ex. CONSA</p><p>RIC VII Constantinople 19</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine used the dragon/serpent symbolism to specifically describe Licinius.</p><p><br /></p><p>"But now, with liberty restored and that <i>dragon</i> driven out of the public administration through the providence of the supreme God and by our service." (Eusebius <i>Vita Constantini</i> Book 2,Chapter 46.2)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"Like some <i>wild beast</i>, or a <i>twisting snake</i> coiling up on itself. (Eusebius <i>Vita Constantini</i> Book 2,Chapter 1.2)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>"The references to "liberty...restored" and the perishing dragon-serpents in the palace sermon and the episcopal letter must be the literary twins of the LIBERTAS PVBLICA and the pierced dragon coins issued about the same time." (Charles Odahl. “The Use of Apocalyptic Imagery in Constantine's Christian Propaganda.” <i>Centerpoint</i> 4, no. 3 (1981) : 17.)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Eusebius also described a painting that Constantine placed above the door to his palace.</p><p> </p><p> “This he displayed on a very high panel set before the entrance to the palace for the eyes of all to see, showing in the picture the Saviour's sign placed above his own head, and the hostile and inimical beast, which had laid siege to the Church of God through the tyranny of the godless, he made in the form of a dragon borne down to the deep. For the oracles proclaimed him a 'dragon' and a 'crooked serpent' in the books of the prophets of God (Isaiah 27:1); therefore the emperor also showed to all, through the medium of the encaustic painting, the dragon under his own feet and those of his sons, pierced through the body with a javelin, and thrust down into the depths of the sea.” (Eusebius <i>Vita Constantini</i> Book 3,Chapter 3)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The coin shows three medallions on the standard. The medallions were portraits of Constantine I and two of his sons. The sons were probably Constantine II and Constantius II, as Eusebius said that Constantine personally showed him the standard. Eusebius did not meet Constantine until 325, and Crispus was dead by 326, so the other two sons are the most likely candidates to have been represented on the standard; otherwise the story might have been a little awkward.</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p> "The symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, bore a golden half-length portrait of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner." (Eusebius <i>Vita Constantini</i> Book 1,Chapter 31)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1341910[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Constantine I</p><p>A.D. 328</p><p>21mm 3.2gm</p><p>Anepigraphic: head with rosette diademed, looking up to heavens</p><p>CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; E in left field.</p><p>in ex. CONS</p><p>RIC VII Constantinople—</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The DAFNE type was the last of this series and though the SPES is rarer and seems more important, the DAFNE was struck in greater quantities and a for a longer period. The Greek word for laurel is daphne, and laurel wreaths were signs of victory. So, the legend of the Dafne coin would actually translate as 'Constantinian Laurel/Victory'. This last coin of the series sums of the Civil War literally and figuratively. The above example is the rare "eyes to Heaven" without a legend and Eusebius talks about this type of coin-- "How deeply his soul was impressed by the power of divine faith may be understood from the circumstance that he directed his likeness to be stamped on the golden coin of the empire with eyes uplifted as in the posture of prayer to God: and this money became current throughout the Roman world." (Eusebius IV.15)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Victor_Clark, post: 7811241, member: 10613"]I recently got a SPES PVBLIC for Constantine I. This coin is the only bronze coin with explicit Christian imagery as part of the design, rather than merely a field mark or occasional design on shield or helmet. It was part of a series of coinage struck in Constantinople after the defeat of Licinius I. These coins were also only struck for Constantine I. “Four entirely new types were created for Constantine, GLORIA EXERCITVS, GLORIA ROMANORVM, LIBERTAS PVBLICA, and SPES PVBLIC…Here the reverses record a summing up of the Civil War II, the glory of the army constituting the glory of the Empire, the death of the tyrant (SPES PVBLIC) granting liberty for all.” (RIC VII pg 567) The next issue, DAFNE was also only struck for Constantine and should also be included in this special commemorative coinage. [ATTACH=full]1341899[/ATTACH] Constantine I A.D. 327-8 18x19mm 3.2g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; rosette diademed head right. GLORIA EXERCITVS; Soldier holding reversed spear in right, left hand on shield S in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 22 Ex-Peter Weiß [ATTACH=full]1341902[/ATTACH] Constantine I A.D. 327 19mm 3.3gm CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right. GLORIA ROMANORVM; Roma seated on a shield, holding a long sceptre, Victory on a globe in right hand, A in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 17 Ex-Peter Weiß [ATTACH=full]1341905[/ATTACH] Constantine I A.D. 327-8 20mm 3.0g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right LIBERTAS PVBLICA; Victory standing left on galley, wreath in both hands; in left field B. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople 25 the LIBERTAS type with galley alludes to the naval victory of Crispus and his subsequent capture of Byzantium. Zosimus said that Constantine's fleet had 200 ships and Licinius had 350 ships. Zosimus might have exaggerated, but all sources agreed that Constantine's fleet was greatly outnumbered. What accounted for the surprise victory of Constantine's forces? Could it have been that Constantine had better trained sailors...maybe divine providence? A papyrus letter from circa A.D. 323, gives an answer. The letter is from a procurator who said that the government of Egypt had an urgent requirement of box and acanthus wood for repair of the men-at-war vessels in the arsenals of Memphis and Babylon. Egypt sent a total of 130 ships to serve in the navy of Licinius, but it seems that they were all old tubs! (C. H. Roberts, “A Footnote to the Civil War of A.D. 324.” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 31 (1945) : 113) Palladas, a fourth-century pagan poet, wrote mockingly about the city of Constantinople and coins with Victories-- "Here we are, the Victories, the laughing maidens, bearing victories to the Christ-loving city. Those who loved the city fashioned us, stamping figures appropriate to the victories." (Anth. Plan. 282) [ATTACH=full]1341909[/ATTACH] Constantine I A.D. 327 19mm 2.6g CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG; laureate head right SPES PVBLIC; Chi-Rho atop standard of 3 medallions impaling snake, in left field A. in ex. CONSA RIC VII Constantinople 19 Constantine used the dragon/serpent symbolism to specifically describe Licinius. "But now, with liberty restored and that [I]dragon[/I] driven out of the public administration through the providence of the supreme God and by our service." (Eusebius [I]Vita Constantini[/I] Book 2,Chapter 46.2) "Like some [I]wild beast[/I], or a [I]twisting snake[/I] coiling up on itself. (Eusebius [I]Vita Constantini[/I] Book 2,Chapter 1.2) "The references to "liberty...restored" and the perishing dragon-serpents in the palace sermon and the episcopal letter must be the literary twins of the LIBERTAS PVBLICA and the pierced dragon coins issued about the same time." (Charles Odahl. “The Use of Apocalyptic Imagery in Constantine's Christian Propaganda.” [I]Centerpoint[/I] 4, no. 3 (1981) : 17.) Eusebius also described a painting that Constantine placed above the door to his palace. “This he displayed on a very high panel set before the entrance to the palace for the eyes of all to see, showing in the picture the Saviour's sign placed above his own head, and the hostile and inimical beast, which had laid siege to the Church of God through the tyranny of the godless, he made in the form of a dragon borne down to the deep. For the oracles proclaimed him a 'dragon' and a 'crooked serpent' in the books of the prophets of God (Isaiah 27:1); therefore the emperor also showed to all, through the medium of the encaustic painting, the dragon under his own feet and those of his sons, pierced through the body with a javelin, and thrust down into the depths of the sea.” (Eusebius [I]Vita Constantini[/I] Book 3,Chapter 3) The coin shows three medallions on the standard. The medallions were portraits of Constantine I and two of his sons. The sons were probably Constantine II and Constantius II, as Eusebius said that Constantine personally showed him the standard. Eusebius did not meet Constantine until 325, and Crispus was dead by 326, so the other two sons are the most likely candidates to have been represented on the standard; otherwise the story might have been a little awkward. "The symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, bore a golden half-length portrait of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner." (Eusebius [I]Vita Constantini[/I] Book 1,Chapter 31) [ATTACH=full]1341910[/ATTACH] Constantine I A.D. 328 21mm 3.2gm Anepigraphic: head with rosette diademed, looking up to heavens CONSTANTINIANA DAFNE; Victory seated l. on cippus, palm branch in left hand and laurel branch in right hand, looking r.; trophy at front, at the foot is a kneeling captive with head turned being spurned by Victory; E in left field. in ex. CONS RIC VII Constantinople— The DAFNE type was the last of this series and though the SPES is rarer and seems more important, the DAFNE was struck in greater quantities and a for a longer period. The Greek word for laurel is daphne, and laurel wreaths were signs of victory. So, the legend of the Dafne coin would actually translate as 'Constantinian Laurel/Victory'. This last coin of the series sums of the Civil War literally and figuratively. The above example is the rare "eyes to Heaven" without a legend and Eusebius talks about this type of coin-- "How deeply his soul was impressed by the power of divine faith may be understood from the circumstance that he directed his likeness to be stamped on the golden coin of the empire with eyes uplifted as in the posture of prayer to God: and this money became current throughout the Roman world." (Eusebius IV.15)[/QUOTE]
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