Gallery Thumbs - Previous Image - Next Image
Reverse of This Coin - Coin List

Bronze AE 3 of Evdoxia

The hand above Evdoxia is a representation of the Hand of God (MANVS DEI) placing a diadem on her head. This is an early symbolic reference to the principle of Divine Right to Govern, an idea that had been gaining prominence since the days of Constantine. This belief was particularly prevalent amongst later medieval monarchs and stood in direct opposition to the idea that the rights of the governed took precedence over the Divine Right of kings (or empresses).

The MANVS DEI is a symbol that is seen more and more frequently on Roman coins as the Fifth Century progresses. Many coins pictured in the excellent work on late Roman coinage, A Catalog of Late Roman Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks and Whittemore Collections, show the Hand of God above the portrait of the emperor or empress on the obverse. By the end of the first quarter of the Fifth Century A. D., the stylistic trend that would result in the highly iconographic Byzantine style of coinage was well under way with its many visual references to the powerful Catholic Church and Christian religion.


Next Image In Gallery
Previous Image in Gallery
Return to Gallery Thumbs
Coin Glossary


Return to Roman Coins Table of Contents - Up one level.
Return to History and Technology Back Pages - The home page for this entire site.