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Message:: [QUOTE="John Anthony, post: 2216226, member: 42773"]Digging a bit deeper into the bust on the follis of Licinius, the drapery is far more ornate than occurs on other portraits, suggesting that the emperor is wearing a ritual paludamentum, in this case fastened on the right shoulder with a fibula from which three tassels hang. The combination of this robe, the mappa, the globe, and the scepter, make this a military bust. But it's not military in the sense of battle, as in the busts with helmets and spears, but a declaration of war, if you will. It was probably what the emperor wore when he went out to address his armies. RIC dates this issue to AD 317-320, during which time Licinius and Constantine maintained an uneasy truce after the battles of Cibalae and Mardia in 314 and 316. So this bust may reference Licinius' campaign against the Sarmatians, which began in 318, if it references any specific conflicts at all. (The full-out civil war wouldn't begin until 321.) Romans were constantly at war, either with non-Romans or with themselves, so it's probably safer to consider such a bust a generic representation of the emperor as supreme military leader. But I'm revising RIC's description of the bust in my attribution to the following: laureate bust of emperor left, wearing ornate paludamentum fastened at right shoulder with fibula from which hang three tassels; mappa in right hand, globe in left, scepter over left shoulder.[/QUOTE]