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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Al Kowsky, post: 4847280, member: 97383&quot;]The 2nd half of the 3rd century of the Christian era saw a Roman empire that was slowly crumbling under the weight of barbarian incursions &amp; incessant civil wars. The battered economy was stamping out near worthless money and citizens were taxed to an extreme. It took the genius of Diocletian along with three other Balkan generals to save the empire from ruin. Diocletian, Maximian Herculius, Galerius, and Constantius I became the Tetrarchy, who slowly and painfully restored order to the empire and economy, although only temporary. Diocletian envisioned an authoritarian regime where all four generals had a specific role and designated area to maintain order and enforce his idea of a new Roman empire. The monetary system was completely overhauled and independent provincial coinage was eliminated. There was now uniformity of coinage throughout the empire. I will focus on on one new denomination, the follis (as we know it) and it&#039;s stylistic evolution that changed the face of Roman coinage. The early follis was a billon coin measuring 24-31 mm, with an average weight of 10.5 gm, and containing about 5% silver. The new follis was a handsome, well-crafted coin that had a bright silvery appearance when freshly struck. The new follis was a welcomed sight compared to the debased coinage of earlier decades. Gradually the coin was reduced in weight and silver content, and it&#039;s buying power was reduced. </p><p><br /></p><p>The imperial image took on a totally different appearance with the new coinage. No longer were the portraits a realistic image of the emperor, instead they became a stylized, geometric image with a blocky, bearded head. Hair and beards were closely trimmed. Individuality ceased and all the emperors began to look alike. This is sometimes referred to as the &quot;Asian&quot; or &quot;Eastern&quot; style. Regardless of what we call it the change in style wasn&#039;t accidental, and neither did all the engravers working at more than a dozen mints forget how to engrave a realistic portrait. Although no official decree has ever surfaced that I&#039;m aware of, Diocletian wanted the emperors to look godlike and all the same, creating an illusion of strength and equality. The word and actions of one emperor was equal to all four, although Diocletian had the last word. The uniformity of the new style can be seen in the plastic arts too, as in the illustration below</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170239[/ATTACH] </p><p>This famous porphyry carving in the Vatican Museum,circa AD 300, shows Diocletian and Maximian embracing, each holding a miniature globe of the earth in their hands. You can&#039;t tell who is who in this sculpture. Both figures are the same size with the same childlike physique, and both are wearing the same clothes. The same thing can be seen in the porphyry carving below of the four members of the Tetrarchy. This sculpture is in St. Mark&#039;s Basilica, Venice.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170240[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The two coins pictured below were struck at the Lugdunum Mint and from the same officina. One coin depicts Diocletian and the other depicts Galerius. Without the inscriptions on the obverse you wouldn&#039;t know who you were looking at.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170264[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170247[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The Cyzicus Mint is also well known for producing cookie-cutter coinage in the new style as the two coins below illustrate. One coin depicts Maximian and the the other depicts Constantius I.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170250[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]1170251[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Occasionally an engraver would impart a characteristic well known to a certain emperor that a viewer could recognize instantly without reading the coin&#039;s inscription, like the coin below from the Ostia Mint. Maxentius is almost always depicted with boyish bangs that you will not see on the other emperors.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1170285[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><u>References</u></p><p>Wikipedia</p><p>Diocletian and the Roman Recovery, by Stephen Williams, 1985</p><p>Article by C.G.J. Pannekeet: Diocletian&#039;s Monetary Reform, 2013</p><p>All coins in A.K. collection[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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