Two Soldiers, Two Standards Reverse

Gallery Thumbs - Previous Image - Next Image
Coin List

Two Soldiers, Two Standards Reverse

The Two Soldiers, Two Standards types were struck under the emperors Constantine I, Constantine II, Constantius II, and Constans. Additionally, they were struck in the name of Constantine's two nephews, Delmatius and Hanniballinus. The reverse bears the legend GLORIA EXERCITVS, meaning, "Glory of the Army."

Many variations can be found in the construction of the standards and the details of the armor worn by the soldiers. The earliest coins of this type ran about 20mm in diameter, decreasing as time went on to 17mm or less. Eventually, the flans had shrunk due to inflationary tendencies to the point where there was not enough room to show two standards, so the two soldiers, one standard type came to be struck in its place.

The PCONS mintmark in the exergue of the coin identifies the minting city as Constantia, an alternative name given to the Western city of Arelate for a few years during the first half of the Fourth Century. The first letter P in the mintmark denoted the officina or workshop.

This example is unusual in that it has the Christogram (Chi Rho) between the standards. The Christogram was formed of the Greek letters X and P, the first two letters of the Greek name for Christ.

Next Image In Gallery
Previous Image in Gallery
Return to Gallery Thumbnails
Return to Two Soldiers, two Standards Reverse Article


JaysRomanHistory.com :: Table of Contents
The Roman Government	Social Classes	Rome's Enemies	Roman Emperors	Cities of the Empire	Roman Coins	Writers & Historians
The Republic	Christians and Lions	Other Empires	Roman Women	Engineers & Technology	Roman Art	Interesting Events
The Late Empire	The Roman Economy		Roman Army	Trade and Transport	Roman Food
Home Page: History and Technology Back Pages				Books	Glossary	Navigation and Help