Constantius II Silver Siliqua RIC VIII Arelate 203

Monetary and Historical Context

The production of RIC VIII Arelate 203 took place within a crucial transitional era for late Roman coinage. In the aftermath of the death of Constans in AD 350 and the subsequent civil war against the usurper Magnentius, Constantius II achieved solitary rule over the entirety of the Roman Empire following Magnentius's suicide at Lugdunum in August AD 353. With Gaul returned to the central administration, imperial fiscal authorities urgently required regular silver and bronze issues to reassert legitimate dynastic authority, satisfy arrears owed to legions stationed along the Rhine, and reintegrate regional monetary systems. During this phase, imperial mints standardized the reduced silver siliqua, pegged at 1/144th of a Roman pound with an intended standard of approximately 2.27 grams. This light siliqua effectively replaced older, heavier silver fractions that had seen intermittent minting during Constantine I's reign. By establishing consistent output of standardized siliquae, the administration met its customary ceremonial disbursements, known as donativa, and funded the regional bureaucracy. Votive inscriptions became the standard visual idiom on these silver flans, supplanting complex mythological or military imagery with solemn declarations of imperial piety and enduring constitutional legitimacy.

Production and Mint Operation

The coin was struck at Arelate, modern Arles in southern France, which had been renamed Constantia in honor of the imperial house. The Arles mint operated as one of the primary Western striking facilities alongside Treveri (Trier) and Lugdunum (Lyon). Production of RIC VIII Arelate 203 was distributed across two distinct workshops or officinae, evidenced by the exergual mintmarks PCON (Prima Constantia) and SCON (Secunda Constantia). Engravers prepared flans through traditional casting methods, subsequently trimming and hammering the blanks to accommodate the standardized silver weight. Late Roman silver alloys maintained high fineness, generally exceeding ninety percent pure silver, though minor debasements and metallurgical fluctuations occurred depending on available bullion reserves. Die alignment tended to be regular, predominantly struck at six or twelve o'clock axes. The Arles workshop exhibited a distinctive regional engraving technique characterized by crisp, relatively shallow lettering, neat wreath knots, and tight facial profiles that contrast with the heavier relief observed at contemporary eastern mints such as Antioch or Constantinople.

Obverse Design and Portraiture

The obverse presents a right-facing bust of Constantius II, draped and cuirassed, adorned with a pearl diadem. The diadem, introduced into Roman imperial iconography under Constantine I, was by the mid-fourth century the paramount visual badge of autocratic imperial status, having fully superseded the civic laurel wreath of early imperial tradition. The pearls are depicted as individual round beads set upon a continuous band tied at the back of the neck, with ribbon ends (taeniae) falling over the nape. Constantius II is rendered in the stylized, idealized manner common to mid-fourth-century portraiture: an elongated, aquiline nose, prominent oval eye gazing slightly upward, and neatly coiffed hair cut in straight fringe above the forehead and along the neck. The imperial cuirass is visible beneath the folds of the paludamentum (military cloak), pinned at the right shoulder by a round jeweled fibula. This deliberate juxtaposition of military armor and the gem-set diadem visually unified the emperor's role as supreme commander of the legions and sanctified ruler chosen by divine providence.

Reverse Iconography and Votive Formula

The reverse of RIC VIII Arelate 203 is defined by anepigraphic simplicity outside the central wreath. Encircling the field is a laurel wreath composed of paired leaves pointing upward toward a central jewel, medallion, or decorative rosette at the apex. Tied at the base by stylized ribbons, the wreath frames four lines of horizontal text: VOTIS / XXX / MVLTIS / XXXX. This formula reflects the ancient Roman system of imperial vows (vota). The inscription records that Constantius II had fulfilled his vows for thirty years of rule (votis tricesimis) and offered prayers for forty years (multis quadragesimis). Constantius II had been elevated to the rank of Caesar on 8 November AD 324; therefore, his thirty-year jubilee was formally celebrated in AD 353 and 354. Placing the votive inscription within an enclosed laurel wreath drew upon classical victorious symbolism while avoiding overtly polytheistic imagery, thereby accommodating the Christian sensibilities of Constantius II's court while honoring deep-seated Roman imperial traditions.

Inscriptions and Epigraphy

The obverse bears the unbroken legend D N CONSTAN-TIVS P F AVG, which expands epigraphically to Dominus Noster Constantius Pius Felix Augustus ('Our Lord Constantius, Pious and Fortunate Emperor'). The title Dominus Noster, which had progressively replaced Imperator in epigraphic predominance during the fourth century, emphasized the absolute, hierarchical nature of the Dominate. The epithets Pius and Felix reiterated traditional imperial virtues of devotion to duty and divine favor. The legend is separated into two segments across the field, with the division occurring behind and above the diadem (CONSTAN-TIVS), accommodating the height of the imperial head. On the reverse, the votive text inside the wreath is strictly abbreviated to its conventional four lines. The exergue beneath the wreath ground-line carries the abbreviated workshop mark, typically PCON for the first officina or SCON for the second officina, identifying the city of Constantia/Arelate and providing administrative accountability for the bullion batch.

Typology and Chronological Classification

In the typological framework established by J. P. C. Kent in Roman Imperial Coinage Volume VIII, type Arelate 203 is dated securely between the autumn of AD 353 and the close of AD 355. This issue succeeded the initial votive issues struck by Constantius II immediately following the defeat of Magnentius, which had still referenced his twenty-fifth anniversary vows (VOTIS XXV MVLTIS XXX). When the formal celebration of the tricennalia occurred around AD 353/354, the mint at Arles updated the reverse dies to read VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX. RIC VIII Arelate 203 is classified specifically by the pearl-diademed bust combined with this exact four-line votive text and the PCON or SCON exergue. It is chronologically distinct from later Arelate siliquae struck after AD 355, which feature altered diadem styles (such as rosette diadems), alternative obverse legend breaks, or different exergual configurations associated with the elevation of Julian as Caesar in November AD 355.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Metrology

Siliquae conforming to RIC VIII Arelate 203 circulated extensively through the Western empire, notably in Britain and northern Gaul where precious-metal cash was concentrated to supply military garrisons and civil administration. As lightweight silver coins of high purity, they circulated alongside issues from Trier, Lyon, and Rome. In Britain, specimens of this type frequently appear in late fourth- and early fifth-century hoards, such as the Hoxne, Dorchester, and East Harptree deposits. Metrological analyses show that while freshly struck coins averaged roughly 2.0 to 2.2 grams, specimens recovered from late deposits often exhibit substantial wear or deliberate edge-clipping. Clipping became rampant in sub-Roman Britain during the early fifth century, where coin users reduced siliquae by trimming the legends to create raw silver bullion while leaving the inner designs intact. The prolonged survival of RIC VIII Arelate 203 in circulation demonstrates the enduring utility of mid-fourth-century silver issues long after the reign of Constantius II.

References

1. Fifth Century Silver Coins from the East and West. pp. 285-295
2. Online Coins of the Roman Empire: RIC VIII Arelate 203. ric.8.ar.203
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VIII: The Family of Constantine I (A.D. 337-364). p. 220, no. 203