Constantine II, Bronze Nummus / Follis

Historical Context

Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known as Constantine II, was a son of Constantine I. He became Caesar in 317 alongside his elder half-brother Crispus and Licinius II. Crispus was older than the two younger princes, so the appointments should not be described as the proclamation of three infants.

During his Caesarship, coins in Constantine II's name formed part of the dynastic coinage issued under Constantine I. Military designs and vows presented the junior prince as a participant in the ruling house and its victories.

After Constantine I's death in 337, Constantine II became Augustus alongside his brothers Constantius II and Constans. His authority centered on the western provinces. Conflict with Constans led him to invade Italy, where he was killed in 340. The distinction between Caesar and Augustus remains essential when dating his bronze coinage.

Obverse Iconographic Composition

Portraits commonly show a youthful, clean-shaven head or bust facing right, with a military cloak, cuirass, or both. Laurel wreaths and diademed treatments occur in the wider series.

Headgear alone does not establish Constantine II's rank or issue date. Caesar legends must be read directly, and the portrait compared with the mint's sequence. After his elevation to Augustus in 337, portrait and legend combinations express his new rank, but the distinction cannot be reduced to a universal change from laurel wreath to diadem.

Obverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

Latin obverse legends identify both the prince and his rank. A common Caesar formula is:

• CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C
• Expansion: Constantinus Iunior Nobilissimus Caesar.
• Translation: "Constantine the Younger, Most Noble Caesar."

Shortened N C forms also occur. IVN identifies the younger Constantine, but the complete legend varies across emissions and should not be described as one invariant formula.

Augustus issues use AVG in place of the Caesar title. A documented western formula is VIC CONSTANTINVS AVG, "Constantine, Victorious Augustus." The full legend, portrait, reverse, and mint sequence must be considered together.

Reverse Iconographic Composition

The two-standard GLORIA EXERCITVS design places two soldiers beside military standards. Each soldier holds a spear and rests a hand on a grounded shield. Clothing, standards, and small controls vary between dies and mints.

The composition emphasizes the army's place within Constantinian rule. Later issues retain the two soldiers but reduce the central pair of standards to one. That later design occurs before Constantine I's death as well as under his successors, so a single standard does not by itself establish a post-337 date.

Other reverse families in the series include vows enclosed by a wreath, campgate imagery, and imperial military virtue. These should be read within their own emission contexts.

Reverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The soldiers-and-standards reverse carries the Latin legend GLORIA EXERCITVS, "Glory of the Army." Letter divisions vary with the die; GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS is one documented arrangement.

The exergue can carry mint and workshop indicators. For the Alexandria emission, SMAL B identifies Alexandria and its second workshop; B represents beta. SMAL A indicates the first workshop. These are mintmark interpretations, not fully written ancient sentences.

Other reverse legends include CAESARVM NOSTRORVM, "Of our Caesars," with vows in a wreath; PROVIDENTIAE CAESS, "The foresight of the Caesars," with a campgate; and VIRTVS AVGVSTI, "The valor of the Augustus," with a military figure.

Typology and Documented Variants

The broad bronze series spans 317-340, with a change of rank in 337. Documented comparison groups include:

1. Votive issues as Caesar: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM surrounds a wreath containing numbered vows, such as VOT X. Dates depend on mint and emission rather than the numeral alone.
2. Campgate issues as Caesar: PROVIDENTIAE CAESS accompanies a gate or tower-like structure, commonly with turrets and a star. Architectural details vary.
3. Two-standard GLORIA EXERCITVS issues: These belong to the later Caesarship. The Alexandria issue relevant to the representative is dated 333-335; this narrower interval must not replace the series-wide range.
4. Single-standard GLORIA EXERCITVS issues: These occur in the closing years of the Caesarship, including 335-337, and continue into the later Constantinian period. Rank must be read from the obverse, not inferred from the number of standards.
5. Augustus issues, 337-340: Western coinage includes military virtue types with VIRTVS AVGVSTI and an AVG obverse formula. The coinage was not limited to the soldiers-and-standards reverse.

Exact mint, workshop, catalogue number, and issue date require comparison of the complete design and legend. No fixed gram standard or tariff is inferred from these groupings.

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

Three attribution limits matter:

• Denomination: Follis is conventional catalogue terminology for these reduced bronzes. Nummus is also used. AE3 and AE4 are modern size classifications, not evidence of ancient face values. A fixed exchange rate against the solidus should not be asserted without direct evidence.
• Identity and status: Constantine I and Constantine II share the name Constantinus, while Constantius II has a different name that can be confused on worn coins. The complete legend, mint sequence, and reverse must agree. A single standard is insufficient to distinguish father and son because it also appears before 337.
• Composition and preservation: Surface color or residual silvering cannot establish an individual coin's original silver percentage. Alloy composition and surface enrichment must be distinguished, and exact fineness requires analytical evidence.

Institutional records also require critical comparison. A broad reign label attached to an illustration does not override an explicit Caesar legend or a more specific emission date.

References

1. Stellenbosch University, Constantine II: Bronze Coin Types. Coin collection teaching catalogue; Caesar status, vota, campgate and soldiers-and-standards designs; illustrated date labels require caution
2. London Museum, Coin, nummus AE4. Object 46.37/101; Constantine II as Caesar, single-standard GLORIA EXERCITVS, dated 335-337
3. Washington University, John Max Wulfing Coin Collection, WC 11767. Constantine II, 337-340; VIC CONSTANTINVS AVG and VIRTVS AVGVSTI
4. Münzkabinett Berlin, Constantius II, 333-335. Parallel Alexandria emission under Constantine I, RIC VII 60, not the Constantine II specimen; SMAL B and institutional nummus terminology
5. Ad Pirum (Hrušica): Spätrömische Passbefestigung in den Julischen Alpen. Bavarian Academy-hosted excavation publication; catalogue entry for Constantine II, Alexandria, RIC 59, dated 333/335