Descriptions

A nummus of the type that weighed 1/132 of a pound. It is one of 5 similar coins from the Seaton Down Hoard made around AD 330-335 in Arles, modern France, and issued by the House of Constantine.

This coin has the Chi-Rho (☧) symbol on the reverse side. This symbol is made using the Greek letters X (chi) and P (rho), which are the first two letters of ‘Christ’ in Greek (XPIΣTOΣ, Christos) and was, and still is, used as an emblem of Christianity. Constantine converted to Christianity after reportedly seeing a vision of the Chi-Rho before the Battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312 along with the words ‘In this sign thou shalt conquer’. After his success, he went on to sign the Edict of Milan to ensure religious tolerance for Christians and adopted the Chi-Rho in his standards. The Chi-Rho continued to be used by his sons.

It is a commemorative issue coin celebrating the foundation of Constantine I’s brand new capital of the Eastern half of the Empire, with Rome remaining the capital of the West. Constantinopolis later became Byzantium and is now Istanbul in modern Turkey. The front of the coin depicts the personification of Constantinopolis. The image on the reverse depicts Victory, a very common image on coinage, as a symbol of military success. She is easily identifiable by her wings.

This object is on display at RAMM in the Making History gallery.