On this day in our history.

After visiting Rome in 357, Emperor Constantius II left the Eternal City to deal with an invasion of Sarmatians and Quadi. After a successful punitive expedition against the barbarians, Constantius II returned to Mediolanum where he received envoys from the Sassanid king sharpur II. Sharpur demanded that the Romans return a number of key fortress cities that the Persians had lost during their war with Galerius in the 290's. Constantius obviously said no but wanted to avoid a war in the East. Unfortunately the Persians attacked and sacked a number of cities in Roman Mesopotamia by the time Constantius reached Constantinople. One such city was Amida, it repulsed numerous Persian attacks for 73 days! The sassanids eventually took the city, but at the cost of 30,000 of their finest warriors.
Constantius II made his HQ at Antioch and assessed the damage, he decided that he would need a number of Western Legions to supplement his forces in the effort to attack the Persians. Unfortunately, the very Legions that Constantius II called on to report to Antioch were the Legions under his Caesar, Julian. Julian, who had successfully reclaimed northern Gaul and punished the barbarians the previous year, was nervous that Constantius II was trying to alienate him from his Legions so he could eliminate him easily. This sounds a bit extreme, but if you look at some of Constantius's previous paranoid decisions, you can see where Julian was coming from.
So Julian revolted and marched from Gaul to Pannonia trying to gather political support from the major cities there. Unfortunately for him most cities actually loved Constantius, so when Julian wrote to the Magistrates of Athens and the Senate of Rome that Constantius was a tyrant and he was the victim, they simply ignored him.
Constantius managed to make a temporary treaty with Shapur and made his way West with the intent kill his last remaining male relative, he had the majority of them killed when he was 20. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Julian, Constantius II fell ill with a fever in Cilicia and died there on the 3rd of November 361 CE. He was 44 years old and had been an Augustus for 24 years.

One thousand five hundred and ninety six years later, another important being died.
"On November 3, in the year 1957, a stray dog named Laika was launched into space to test the conditions and safety of sending a human being into space"
I will not say much (I might cry if I do) but Rest in Peace Laika.
I don't have any new Ancients to show off, but please post your coins of Constantius II, Julian II, and coins that have Dogs on them.
Thanks and best wishes.

Constantius II Siliqua
DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG; Pearl diademed, dr. and cuir. bust r.
VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX in wreath.



Julian II AR Siliqua
Struck at Trier mint
360 CE
1.87 Grams




Laika
Country - Marschall Islands
Face Value - $1
Issued - 2014
Weight - approx 1oz
Material: Copper


Sources.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/first-dog-in-space/1/514652.html

http://history.nasa.gov/animals.html
http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/ammianus_19_book19.htm

 

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One bronze each of Constantius II and Julian II:



Love that Silver MM !!!! And nice historical synopsis!

 

Thanks very much for the great writeup.

 

@Mikey Zee and Orfew
Thanks! I knew that I would never forgive myself if I missed posting about Constantius and Laika today.

 

@Magnus Maximus ! What a great write-up...you traversed 1500+ years and tied two significant human events together.

Here is my Roman Half-Litra... and now I have affectionately named the dog on the reverse Laika!


Roman Republic
AE Half-Litra
234-231 BCE
Rome Mint
10.5mm, 1.4g
Obv: Head of Roma r, wearing Phrygian helmet
Rev: Dog walking r, in ex ROMA
Ref: Sear 598; Crawford 26/4; Sydenham 22
Comment: Dog affectionately named Laika 3-Nov-2015 on flip.

Litrae were minted to trade with the Southern Italy Greek cities (Magna Graecia)

 

I thought I had an example with a 'device' of a dog but it seems they are all wolves....except this denarius. But it's difficult to tell where the dog is except to say that the 'lump' near Odysseus' out-stretched hand is Argos.

Sorry MM, That's the best I have--An RR denarius of Limtanus featuring Mercury on the obverse (82 BC):

 

I love that coin. I recently captured it in the Sept rounds of Auctions for my dog Blue!

 

Nope, not crying

 

Wow! That is a cool coin MZ!

Since dogs and wolves can interbreed, I think that we should post our coins with wolves as well.

 

Nice additions and write up MM.
Doug H.

 

Very informative.

Constantius II



Julian II



Dog

 

Hi M.M.
I am sorry to be so 'late to the table.' Thanks for the history lesson. I do so enjoy getting my 'dose' from you in that manner.
No dogs, I am afraid, except for a few 'She Wolfs' on some City Commemoratives, so that leaves us with Constantius II .

(1) Constantius II RIC.VIII.Siscia.240.Mint BSIS (Symbol 2).


(4) CONSTANTIUS II RIC VII Heraclea 84b

 

AND

(9) CONSTANTIUS II RIC VIII Thessalonica 19


(12) CONSTANTIUS II RIC VIII Aquileia 241

 

And for Julian, I have chosen

(1) JULIAN II RIC Siscia 363


(3) JULIAN II RIC VIII Aquieleia 218 Scarce

 

AND

(5) JULIAN II Sirmium RIC VIII Sirmium 76



(Yet to arrive - seller's pics)



I hope that you can find something to like in this small selection.

 

Thanks TC! I love the Heraclea mint Constantius AE.
Very nice.

 

Constantius-II



Julian-II

 

Occasionally Constantius II comes in super grade:



The early Christian reverse
HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS
("With the sign, you will be victorious")
with a chi-rho on the standard.
23 mm. 4.68 grams. 12:00 die axis.
RIC VIII Siscia 283, page 369.

For more about early Christian types, see the large web site:

http://esty.ancients.info/Christian/ChristianSymbols.html

 

@> M.M.

One of my favourites, too.

 

lovely siliqua as usual MM, and a nice write up!

i haven't picked up a constantius ii or a julian ii for a while. i did recently get my first coin with a dog, it's pretty rough and i wasn't going to post it....but this seems like a good place for it to make an appearance. the dog is just visible between the legs of artemis, you can see his hind legs and tail better than the front of him.




Faustina II, Augusta Traiana, Thrace, 161-175 AD
O: ΦAYCTEINA CEBACTH. R: AYΓOYCTHC TPAIANHC, Artemis huntress with hound, right hand reaching for an arrow in quiver at shoulder and holding bow in left. Moushmov 2982. 26x24 mm, 11.4g