Owner Comments:
As the eldest son of Constantine I and Fausta, Constantine II (c. 316–340 AD) needed to grow up quickly. He achieved the rank of Caesar while still an infant, and saw his first battle (against the Sarmatians) at age seven. Within his first decade, the junior Constantine had already amassed enough military experience to replace his deceased half-brother Crispus as commander of Gaul.
There was no doubt the young Constantine was destined for the purple, and it was important to maintain him on such an accelerated career track. Moreover, it was vital to advertise his status, and at the time the most effective medium was coinage, such as this nummus, struck around 326–327 AD in Antioch. The obverse bust portrays a youthful visage (he was probably ten at the time), but not overly so: it was important to convey that he was already an effective and rapidly maturing leader. The obverse epithet reflects his title of noble Caesar, or NOB C.
On the reverse is a campgate, a popular numismatic motif for coins of the Constantinian dynasty. The campgate represented the protection afforded by the military, for example, against barbarians. Atop the campgate are structures typically referred to as “turrets” that were actually beacons, or large kettles that, during times of attack, were lighted to signal, by fire and/or smoke, any other line-of-sight camps. Encircling the campgate is the epithet PROVIDENTIAE CAESS. The latter indicates that there were multiple Caesars — namely Constantine II and his younger brother, Constantius II. This NGC Ancients custom set also includes an example campgate nummus of Constantius II, not surprisingly with nearly identical features to the current coin. The reverse motif conveys the providence, or forethought, in this case related to the young Caesars.
By the time Constantine I died in 337 AD, he had named two more Caesars: his youngest son Constans and his nephew Delmatius. It was undoubtedly the careful forethought of the elder Constantine to restore a harmonious Imperial Tetrarchy among his heirs. However, the familial unity advertised on this coin was purely an illusion.
Almost immediately after their father’s death, the carefully laid plans for the Constantinian dynasty violently unraveled. Driven by ambition, the dynasts ruthlessly turned on one another. The ultimate dissonance between this coin’s promise of Providence and historical reality culminated in 340 AD. Furious over territorial disputes, Constantine II invaded Italy to assert dominance over his younger brother Constans. Instead, the 24-year-old elder brother was lured into an ambush near Aquileia and slaughtered by an elite military vanguard dispatched by his own sibling.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantine II, As Caesar 316-327 AD, Struck in Antioch, fourth officina, 326-327 AD, Æ3 (BI Nummus) (19mm, 4.98 g, 1h), NGC Grade: CH MS, Strike:5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust left, CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, Reverse: Camp gate surmounted by two turrets; star above; PROVIDEN-TIAE CAESS, ·//SMANTΔ, Reference: RIC VII 73.
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.