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.
Unlike the retrospective VRBS ROMA issues atop this Gallery Page that honor a glorious mythological past, the Constantinopolis city commemoratives, such as this example, were aggressively forward-looking. In a striking departure from standard portraiture, the obverse features the newly personified Tyche (guardian spirit) of Constantinople. Wearing a laureate helmet and wielding a scepter over her shoulder, she projects fresh, undisputed imperial authority. The reverse is equally triumphant, featuring a winged Victory standing proudly on the prow of a warship. This is a direct, hard-hitting historical callback to the pivotal naval victory at the Hellespont in 324 AD, where an underdog fleet led by Constantine's son Crispus annihilated the armada of Eastern Augustus Licinius. This specific naval triumph allowed Constantine to capture Byzantium, paving the way for his sole rule and the foundation of his namesake city.
This specific Constantinopolis commemorative was struck at Siscia (modern-day Sisak, Croatia). Siscia, a relatively large mint operating with five
officinae during this period, was particularly renowned for its highly stylized portraiture. The engravers at Siscia frequently depicted subjects with dramatically elongated necks. True to form, the personification of Constantinopolis on this coin possesses a neck that is substantially longer and more stylized compared to the other such coins shown on this Gallery Page. This coin's pedigree is discerned from the •ΓSIS• mintmark in the reverse exergue. The letters SIS proudly denote the Siscia mint, and the Γ (Gamma) symbol denotes the third operating workshop. The framing dots on either side of the lettering probably served as an internal administrative control mark.
Situated in the province of Pannonia, Siscia occupied a fiercely contested, highly strategic position at the geographic crossroads of the Roman world. The Danubian frontier was the militarized heartland of the Empire, constantly on high alert against devastating barbarian incursions. Furthermore, the residents of Siscia had been on the very front lines of the bloody early civil wars between Constantine and Licinius; the pivotal Battle of Cibalae in 316 AD was fought just down the road, resulting in Constantine seizing this very mint.
Because of this visceral history of local warfare, the specific imagery on this commemorative would have resonated deeply with Siscia's battle-hardened legions and anxious populace. Constantinopolis is not presented merely as a peaceful civic entity; she is armored in a laureate helmet and confidently wields an imperial scepter over her shoulder. Even more striking is the reverse. While Victory on a prow broadly advertised the naval triumph at the Hellespont, to the frontier troops of Siscia, the added details of Victory actively grasping a spear and resting her hand upon a shield spoke directly to their daily, martial reality. Through these overt symbols of military dominance on this coin, Constantine was reassuring Siscia and other cities across the realm that the new capital was forged in battle and stood ready to defend the Empire with unyielding strength.
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, City Commemorative, BI Nummus (2.74 g, 19 mm), Siscia, NGC Grade: MS, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5, Obverse: Helmeted and mantled bust of Constantinopolis left, holding sceptre, CONSTAN-TINOPOLIS, Reverse: Victory standing left, with foot upon prow, holding sceptre and resting hand upon shield, BSIS in exerge, Reference: RIC 224.
Image: NGC Photo Vision Plus.