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Above all, Constantine I (ca. 272–337 AD) was persistent in proving to the Roman world that he was legitimately their Augustus. Over the years from 306 to 312 AD, he shared leadership of the Western Roman Empire in one form or another, starting his career as a Tetrarchal Caesar. By 312 AD, Constantine had eliminated — in one fashion or another — his competition for the Western throne (most notably Maxentius) and became the undisputed Western Augustus. During this next phase of his myriad of different imperial reigns, Constantine sparred diplomatically and militarily with Licinius, who had taken over the role of Eastern Augustus. Their conflict reached a climax in 324 AD, with not only political, but also theological ideals at stake: Constantine’s armies bore the Christian
labarum on their standards, while Licinius positioned himself as the defender of traditional, ancient pagan ways. Although outnumbered, Constantine prevailed. Licinius surrendered on the promise that his life would be spared, but the arrangement was short-lived; Constantine eventually ordered the execution of both Licinius and his son, Licinius II. Owing to his ruthless drive for power and his tenacity for leaving no loose ends, Constantine was now the sole, undisputed Augustus over the entire Roman Empire — a unity not realized since before the days of the Tetrarchy.
During his long reign, Constantine implemented sweeping administrative and monetary reforms. To provide economic stability following the runaway inflation of the previous century, he introduced the gold solidus. Fixed at a weight of 1/72 of a pound, it became the new economic standard for the Empire. He also standardized the silver siliqua at 24 to the solidus. Everyday commerce, however, was still driven by bronze nummus. The current coin, which was struck at the Siscia mint around 329 AD, is one such example.
This coin perfectly illustrates the massive iconographic shifts of Constantine's sole reign. On the obverse, the portrait of CONSTANTINVS AVG features a major stylistic departure: the Emperor is wearing a diadem rather than the traditional laurel wreath. For three centuries, Roman Emperors wore the laurel to tie themselves to the military victories of the old Republic. By replacing it with the diadem — a jeweled cloth band tied to Alexandrian and Hellenistic divine kingship - Constantine was visually elevating himself above traditional Roman traditions and distancing his regime from the pagan Tetrarchy.
The reverse features the epithet PROVIDENTIAE AVGG. Providentia was the ancient Roman divine personification of the ability to foresee and make provision. However, instead of depicting a female figure for the motif (as on earlier Roman coins), in this era the pagan goddess was substituted with the architectural imagery of a fortified campgate. The curious use of AVGG (the plural abbreviation of Augustus) on a coin struck when Constantine was the sole Emperor is historically notable. It likely advertises the overarching Imperial College (representing Constantine and the sons he had elevated to Caesars) or it served to boast of his dual dominion over both the Western and Eastern spheres.
Of all the changes implemented by Constantine, one of the most profound was the relocation of the Empire’s political capital. Rome had become increasingly vulnerable and politically obsolete. Byzantium, sitting at the crossroads of global commerce and trade 1,500 miles to the east, was chosen as the new heart of the Empire. Renamed Constantinople in his honor, the city was heavily adorned with Christian themes in stark contrast to pagan Rome; Constantine even built the new Church of the Holy Apostles directly on the site of a former temple to Aphrodite.
Exactly when Constantine himself genuinely adopted Christianity remains a subject of intense historical debate. From early on, he clearly employed the religion to achieve his military ends. He supported the Church financially, granted privileges to clergy, promoted Christians to high office, and returned property confiscated during Diocletian’s persecutions. However, it is important to note that Constantine did not immediately eschew other religions. He retained the title of Pontifex Maximus (the head of the pagan state priesthood), and he specifically instructed that citizens should continue to celebrate the venerable Day of the Sun. Constantine’s coinage also continued to employ subtle solar symbolism, such as the prominent star shining above the campgate on the reverse of this very coin. He even famously wore the Apollonian sun-rayed diadem during the dedication ceremony for his new capital.
In his final years, Constantine planned a massive campaign against Persia, calling on bishops to accompany him and commissioning a tent in the shape of a church. He intended to be baptized in the Jordan River along the way. However, he fell ill before he could achieve this vision. Instead, Constantine would receive his first and last communion upon his deathbed. In his last days, Constantine famously shed the imperial purple to wear the simple white robe of a pilgrim. He was later declared a saint, alongside with his Christian mother, Helena. Constantine's elevation to sainthood provides an interesting topic for debate, considering his rather ruthless methods and the thoroughness with which he dispatched his enemies. Notable, such casualties included his own wife and eldest son. Perhaps more appropriate, history also endowed Constantine with the additional moniker of "the Great", alongside the other great rulers of old. Indeed, Constantine representes presents one of history's greatest moral paradoxes: a holy figure who secured his absolute power through the ruthless extermination of his enemies, his allies, and ultimately, his own wife and son. Yet, it was precisely this unflinching brutality that earned him his other posthumous title: "The Great." He was a man of staggering contradictions, but the results of his reign are undisputed. As Constantine evolved from usurper to the supreme master of his world, so too did he fundamentally remake it, forging a rebirth as profound as the Empire's very genesis itself.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantine I, AD 307-337, AE3 (Billon Nummus) (3.60 g), Struck in Siscia in 328-329 AD, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Diademed head right, CONSTANTINVS AVG, Reverse: Campgate with two turrets, star above, PROVIDENTIAE AVGG, gamma SIS double crescent in exergue, Reference: RIC VII 214.
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