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Constans AE Centenionalis. 348-350 AD. 2.8g, 18mm
OBV: D N CONSTANS P F AVG, Draped and cuirassed bust right.
REV: FEL TEMP REPARATIO, Constans standing left on galley, holding phoenix and labarum, piloted by Victory. TESB in ex.
REF: RIC VIII Thessalonica 120
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EMPEROR INFORMATION:
Flavius Julius Constans Augustus was the son of Constantine I and Fausta. Constans was emperor from 337 to 350 AD. When his father died, the empire was split between several relatives including his two other brothers, Constantine II and Constantius II. Constans soon conquered his brother Constantine II and merged the territories of Britannia, Gaul and Hispania into his own.
Eventually, his soldiers and other retainers got tired of his mismanagement of the empire, including taking bribes, homosexual activity and playing favorites, elevating barbarians as a personal guard over loyal Romans. Thus, the general Magnentius took the purple, elevated by the troops. Constans got wind of Magnentius elevation, promptly fleeing to Vicus Helena (Elne) Gaul, where he was trapped and killed near a sanctuary temple in a fortification.
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OBVERSE INFORMATION:
D N CONSTANS P F AVG. "D N" means Dominus Noster, "Our Lord" in English. "P F" means "Pius Felix". or dutiful to the gods, state and family. "AVG" means a title that has traditionally been given to each emperor since the time of the first emperor Augustus (Octavian).
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REVERSE INFORMATION:
FEL TEMP REPARATIO loosely translate to "The restoration of happy times."
Labarum: A military standard that displays a Chi-Rho symbol.
Chi-Rho: One of the earliest forms of a Christogram, or monogram that merges some letters of the Greek word "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" (Christ), symbolizing the crucifixion of Jesus.
Phoenix: A long lived bird that is reborn from the ashes of the old.
Victory: Victory, or Victoria. Goddess of victory in battle.
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MINT CITY INFORMATION:
Thessalonica
This city was founded by King Cassander of Macedon, circa 315 BC, named after his wife Thessalonike. Thessalonica, now named modern day Thessaloniki, Greece. The city eventually came under Roman control, serving as a trade-hub on the Via Egnatia road. The city has also been a prolific coin minting city off and on until 1185 when the city was sacked and taken over by the Norman rulers of Sicily, wresting it from Byzantine control.
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