Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsimonel, post: 3629618, member: 82549&quot;]The coin below is a commemorative coin of Theodora, (2nd?) wife of Constantinus I, (but not the mother of Constantine the Great or his descendants; CtG&#039;s mother was Helena):</p><p><img src="http://feltemp.com/Images/Dynasty/Theodora.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>AE3</p><p>Trier mint, A.D. 337-340</p><p>Obv:&nbsp; FL MAX THE-ODORAE AVG</p><p>Rev: PIETAS ROMANA - Pietas, standing facing right, holding infant to breast</p><p>CONSS in exergue</p><p>RIC (Vol.VIII) 50/51, var.</p><p>15mm, 1.5g.</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin was minted during the reign of the three sons of CtG after they&#039;d bumped off Delmatius and Hannibalianus and had themselves declared co-Augustii.</p><p><br /></p><p>My question is: why did they mint this coin? It&#039;s true that she was the wife of their grandfather, but she wasn&#039;t their grandmother. Step-grandmother, I guess. But even if Constantius I had never married Helena, CtG acknowledged her as his mother and had her declared Augusta in A.D. 324.&nbsp; He even minted coins in her name (see below), so anyone who cared probably knew that Theodora was not the mother of the Augustii. Yet they minted this commemorative. I wonder why.</p><p><br /></p><p>For good measure, here&#039;s a coin of Helena:</p><p><img src="http://feltemp.com/Images/Dynasty/Helena.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>AE3</p><p>Trier mint, A.D. 327-329</p><p>Obv: FL HELENA AVGVSTA</p><p>Rev: SECVRITAS REIPVBLICAE - Securitas, standing left, holding downward branch and raising pallium</p><p>[dot]STRE in exergue</p><p>RIC 515</p><p>19mm, 3.2g</p><p><br /></p><p>And while we&#039;re at it, we might as well complete the trio with a coin of Fausta, the notorious wife of CtG:</p><p><img src="http://feltemp.com/Images/Dynasty/Fausta.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>AE3</p><p>Ticinum mint, A.D. 326-328</p><p>Obv: FLAV MAX FAVSTA AVG</p><p>Rev: SPESREI-PVBLICAE - Spes, standing, facing left, holding two children in her arms.</p><p>S[crescent]T in exergue</p><p>RIC 203</p><p>18mm, 2.6g.</p><p><br /></p><p>Post anything you think is relevant.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in