Owner Comments:
If you have ever relocated, you appreciate the great deal of planning, expense, and effort involved. Now, imagine expanding that complexity to the scale of an entire city. Add the fact that this city is the capital of an Empire, and the new metropolis must be constructed simultaneously from the ground up. Finally, imagine the staggering difficulty of executing all this without the aid of modern technology.
Yet, that gargantuan task is exactly what Constantine pulled off when he moved the Empire's capital from Rome to Byzantium. The physical construction took roughly six years of unrelenting labor. To fund this epochal undertaking without collapsing the imperial treasury, Constantine began stripping the accumulated wealth of ancient pagan temples across the Empire. He then deployed tens of thousands of legionaries — the master engineers of the ancient world — alongside a massive workforce of artisans to execute his vision. On May 11, 330 AD, the newly christened capital of Constantinople was officially inaugurated. That such an unprecedented logistical feat was even considered, let alone successfully carried out, is striking.
The sheer enormity of this task begs the question: why go through all the trouble? The answer lies in the urgency to secure the realm's long-term survival. The Empire had miraculously survived the catastrophic Crisis of the Third Century, but its geopolitical center of gravity had permanently shifted. The ancient capital was now geographically isolated from the Empire's true wealth and its most pressing military frontiers along the Danube and the Persian border. Furthermore, Rome remained deeply entrenched in traditional paganism, anchored by a conservative, powerful senatorial elite. In context, it made perfect strategic sense for Constantine to shift the center of his power from West to East. It is no wonder that almost immediately after defeating his final rival, Licinius, in 324 AD, Constantine selected the location of the new capital, began construction, and set the unyielding deadline for its grand inauguration.
To build this magnificent capital and entice the Roman elite to uproot their lives, enormous wealth and logistical control were required. Constantine established a second Senate in his new city, aggressively luring Western patricians eastward with lavish estates, free grain distributions, and high-ranking titles. To ensure payment for all the involved parties, it was a high priority to establish a local mint. Within just a year and a half, the Empire had not only launched a new mint, but also its largest, comprising no fewer than eleven
officinae (workshops)
More than establishing a new mint, Constantine executed a massive numismatic overhaul unparalleled in Roman history: a complete, simultaneous replacement of the Empire’s circulating bronze currency. Virtually overnight, the production of all existing coin types was halted at mints spanning from Lugdunum in the West to Antioch in the East. In their place, a strictly controlled, Empire-wide propaganda campaign was launched to ensure no citizen could possibly remain ignorant of his new world order.
This unprecedented propaganda campaign materialized as a massive, carefully paired series of commemorative coins celebrating both the old and new imperial capitals. In a stunning departure from standard Roman currency, these new issues completely omitted the name and portrait of the Emperor himself. Instead, they featured the divine personifications of the two capitals. To visually enforce their exact equality, Constantine mandated that the mints produce the two distinct types in virtually a 50/50 split, comprising over 99% of the empire's circulating commemorative bronze. Half of the production was dedicated to VRBS ROMA (the City of Rome). Its reverse featured the ancient she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, a calculated diplomatic move designed to reassure the West that their mythological foundations remained deeply revered. The other half was dedicated to CONSTANTINOPOLIS (the City of Constantine). Its reverse featured a winged Victory standing on the prow of a warship, a direct nod to the naval triumph that secured Constantine's absolute power.
This specific VRBS ROMA city commemorative was struck in the Eternal City itself, providing what can be considered a baseline depiction of Roma. While virtually identical issues — sharing the same core portrait elements and epithet — were produced across fifteen other imperial mints (Alexandria, Antioch, Arles, Constantinople, Cyzicus, Heraclea, Lugdunum, Nicomedia, Serdica, Sirmium, Siscia, Thessalonica, Ticinum, and Treveri), minor regional stylistic differences emerged. This particular piece perfectly illustrates the mythological depth and administrative mastery of the campaign. The reverse in exergue bears the letter R to proudly denote the Rome mint, and Q (
Quarta) to identify its fourth operating workshop. Nestled between these letters is a wreath, which functionally served as an administrative control mark to track production batches while simultaneously evoking the
corona triumphalis (laurel wreath of victory) to reinforce Imperial dominance. Another detail of note on this coin is the small flower on the wolf's shoulder, which probably indicates another administrative control mark.
The true genius of the reverse lies in the brilliant symbolic duality of its central imagery. Above the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus shine two prominent stars representing the Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux. Famously, the divine twins were revered as protectors of the State since the Roman Republic’s legendary Battle of Lake Regillus. By placing the celestial twins of the night sky directly above the mortal twins on the ground, the celator created a flawless vertical symmetry. It was a masterstroke of propaganda, reassuring the conservative Roman elite that even though Constantine had relocated his earthly throne, the ancient divine protectors still kept watch over the legendary cradle of Romulus and Remus.
Additional Reading: "Coins and Medallions struck for the Inauguration of Constantinopolis 11 May 330," L. Ranskold, June 2010, Conference: Niš & Byzantium, Volume IX.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Constantinian, City Commemorative, circa 330-340 AD, BI Nummus, Rome mint, NGC Grade: MS, Obverse: Bust of Roma left wearing visored and crested helmet, and ornamental mantle, VRBS ROMA, Reverse: Shewolf with flower on shoulder, suckling Romulus and Remus, two stars above, R (wreath) Q in exergue, References: RIC VII Rome 354, Sear 16508.
Image: Sony ɑ 7R Ⅴ camera / Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens.