Julian II Silver Reduced Siliqua

Monetary Context and Weight Standard

During the mid-fourth century AD, the Roman silver currency system operated alongside the dominant gold solidus and fiduciary bronze coinage. Under Constantine I and his sons, the silver denominations underwent significant reform. The heavier siliqua standard of the earlier fourth century, struck at 1/96th of a Roman pound (frequently termed the argenteus or heavy siliqua, weighing roughly 3.40 grams), had increasingly been supplanted by a lighter standard. Constantius II stabilized this reduced siliqua at 1/144th of a Roman pound, producing a theoretical weight standard of approximately 2.27 grams, though surviving unclipped specimens typically cluster between 1.90 and 2.20 grams with a fineness exceeding 90 percent silver. When Julian was invested with the rank of Caesar in November 355 AD to pacify the Rhine frontier, the reduced siliqua was the primary silver denomination issued across the empire. Julian continued the production of this reduced standard without altering its metallurgical framework, relying on it to fund administrative functions, provincial governance in Gaul, military pay, and donatives to the legions. The denomination occupied an essential role in imperial tax accounting and high-value commercial exchanges, functioning as the fractional companion to the gold solidus at an official accounting tariff of 24 siliquae to one solidus.

Production and Mint Organization

The manufacture of Julian's reduced siliquae was distributed across both Western and Eastern imperial mints, with output strongly mirroring the political divisions of the era. Between 355 AD and early 360 AD, while Julian governed as Caesar in Gaul under the supreme authority of Augustus Constantius II, western production was concentrated at Treveri (Trier), Lugdunum (Lyon), and Constantina (Arles, also designated Arelate). Concurrently, eastern and central mints under Constantius II, including Rome, Aquileia, Sirmium, Thessalonica, Constantinople, Nicomedia, Cyzicus, and Antioch, struck siliquae in Julian's name to acknowledge his junior collegiality. Following Julian's elevation to Augustus at Lutetia (Paris) in 360 AD and his subsequent emergence as sole emperor in late 361 AD after the death of Constantius II, mint organization was streamlined to support Julian's mobilizations and his planned Persian campaign. Western mint marks commonly utilized mint signatures such as TR and SMTR for Trier; LVG, PLVG, and SLVG for Lyon; and PCON, SCON, or TCON for Arles. Central and eastern facilities signed flans with marks such as VRB ROM or SMR for Rome; SMAQ for Aquileia; SIRM for Sirmium; TES or SMTES for Thessalonica; CP or CONSP for Constantinople; SMN for Nicomedia; SMK for Cyzicus; and ANT or AN for Antioch, accompanied by officina letters designating individual production workshops.

Obverse Iconography and Imperial Portraiture

The obverse imagery of Julian's reduced siliquae offers one of the most distinctive evolutions in Late Roman numismatic portraiture. During his tenure as Caesar (355-360 AD), mints portrayed Julian as a youthful, clean-shaven prince. He is shown with a bare head, draped and cuirassed, turned to the right. This bare-headed presentation strictly observed Roman hierarchical protocol, reserving the diadem exclusively for the senior Augusti. Following his proclamation as Augustus in 360 AD, Julian assumed the diadem, appearing initially with a pearl diadem and subsequently with a rosette or gemmed diadem, accompanied by paludamentum and cuirass. The most remarkable stylistic development occurred during his sole reign (361-363 AD), when Julian deliberately departed from the smooth-shaven dynastic model established by Constantine I. Mints gradually introduced facial hair on Julian's portraits, beginning with light stubble or short sideburns and culminating in a full, pointed beard. This philosopher's beard directly communicated Julian's devotion to classical Hellenic culture, Neoplatonic philosophy, and pagan intellectual traditions, setting his silver coinage apart from that of every other fourth-century emperor.

Reverse Typology and Visual Programs

The reverse designs of Julian's reduced siliquae are overwhelmingly dominated by votive inscriptions enclosed within laurel wreaths, reflecting the conservative administrative traditions of the fourth-century silver coinage. The most pervasive Caesar-period type displays the inscription VOTIS V MVLTIS X arranged across four lines within an ornate wreath tied at the base. Following his elevation to Augustus and the celebration of his quinquennalia, the votive formula shifted to VOTIS X MVLTIS XX or the abbreviated VOT X MVLT XX, which remained the staple reverse across virtually all operational mints until the end of his reign. Non-votive reverse types appear with far less frequency on siliquae. Western workshops, particularly Arles and Lyon, struck limited issues depicting the emperor standing right, holding a spear and globe or labarum, or advancing Victory types bearing wreaths and palm branches, such as VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM. Another notable reverse type struck at mints including Antioch features the legend RESTITVTOR REIP, portraying the emperor standing facing, head right, holding the labarum inscribed with a cross or christogram and supporting a small Victory on a globe. Nonetheless, the votive wreath design remained the primary visual type for standard silver distribution.

Epigraphy and Titulature

The epigraphic structure on Julian's reduced siliquae adhered to rigorous administrative formulas denoting imperial rank and political legitimacy. On obverses struck between 355 AD and early 360 AD, legends universally identify Julian as Caesar: typical readings include D N CLAVDIVS IVLIANVS NOB C, D N CL IVLIANVS NOB CAES, or IVLIANVS NOB CAES, where D N abbreviates Dominus Noster (Our Lord) and NOB CAES signifies Nobilissimus Caesar (Most Noble Caesar). Upon his proclamation and recognition as Augustus, the titulature altered to reflect supreme imperial majesty. The standard obverse legend became D N FL CL IVLIANVS P F AVG, expanding to Dominus Noster Flavius Claudius Julianus Pius Felix Augustus. The reverse legends centered primarily on votive renewals celebrating completed vows and anticipating future ones: VOTIS V MVLTIS X signifies vows undertaken for five years and multiplied to ten years, whereas VOT X MVLT XX denotes vows of ten years extended to twenty. Mintmarks in the exergue incorporate administrative abbreviations identifying the city and specific officina (for example, PCON indicating Prima Constantina, the first workshop of Arles), sometimes flanked by stars, palms, or laurel leaves to differentiate individual emission phases.

Typology and Chronological Sequence

The chronological sequence of Julian's reduced siliquae is cleanly divided into three successive phases. The first phase spans from November 355 AD to February 360 AD, corresponding to his Caesarship in Gaul. During this phase, clean-shaven, bare-headed portraits accompany the VOTIS V MVLTIS X wreath type across both western and eastern mints, though eastern issues under Constantius II reflect standardized metropolitan die-cutting while western issues display vigorous local Gallic execution. The second phase encompasses the civil war interlude from February 360 AD to November 361 AD. Following Julian's elevation by the Gallic army at Paris, western mints immediately altered his title to Augustus (P F AVG) and introduced pearl-diademed busts, initially continuing clean-shaven portraits and the VOTIS V MVLTIS X reverses. The third phase comprises Julian's sole reign from late 361 AD to June 363 AD, following the sudden death of Constantius II. During this final phase, the VOTIS X MVLTIS XX and VOT X MVLT XX reverse types became universal across the unified empire. It was in this phase, particularly from 362 AD onward as Julian established his administrative base at Antioch, that the full philosopher's beard was systematically integrated into die engraving across central and eastern mints.

Circulation, Hoarding, and Clipping

Julian's reduced siliquae achieved widespread distribution throughout the Roman provinces and along the imperial frontiers, remaining in active circulation for decades after his death in 363 AD. Major hoard evidence from Britain, northern Gaul, and the Danubian limes demonstrates that fourth-century silver coin hoards regularly blend Julian's siliquae with those of Constantius II, Valentinian I, Valens, Gratian, and Theodosius I. Large-scale British finds such as the Hoxne Hoard, the Dorchester Hoard, and the Mildenhall deposit contain significant quantities of Julian's silver. In late Roman Britain, Julian's siliquae were intensely affected by the widespread phenomenon of clipping that occurred in the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD. Speculators and local users systematically sheared the outer rims of siliquae to harvest silver bullion while leaving the inner imperial portrait and core reverse legend recognizable, frequently reducing the coin weight below 1.00 gram. Because Julian's reduced siliquae maintained high metallurgical purity, they continued to be trusted and hoarded long after official silver imports from continental mints ceased following the collapse of Roman administrative authority in Britain around 410 AD.

References

1. The Late Roman Gold and Silver Coins from the Hoxne Treasure. Guest, P. (2005), British Museum Press, pp. 35-72
2. The Roman Silver Coinage of the Fourth Century A.D.: The Need for a New Corpus. King, C.E. (1987), Numismatic Chronicle, Vol. 147, pp. 185-195
3. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume VIII: The Family of Constantine I (A.D. 337-364). Kent, J.P.C. (1981), pp. 120-540
4. An Inventory of Romano-British Coin Hoards. Robertson, A.S. (2000), Royal Numismatic Society Special Publication 20, pp. 350-410