Ancient Roman -AS Bronze (VRBS Roma - She Wolf and The Twin Brothers, Romulus and Remus)

Denomination: Roman Bronze AS

Date: Circa 330-350 AD 

Minted: Siscia, Rome

Reign: Constantine the Great

Description: The obverse of this coin does not show a portrait of the emperor which had been standard since the reign of Augustus, but instead shows the bust of Roma helmeted and wearing the imperial mantle. She is surrounded by the name 'VRBS ROMA' which refers to the city of Rome personified as a goddess .

The reverse shows the she-wolf and the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, who are the key characters in the foundation myth of Rome. This scene became a symbol for the city of Rome. The two stars which appear refer to Rome’s constancy. 'SMALD' which often appears in the exergue is the mint mark which means Signata Moneta Alexandria, “Money struck at Alexandria.” Most often Roma coins have a wolf and twins depicting Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) being suckled by the she-wolf.

By the 4th century the Roman Empire had been divided up into Eastern and Western Empires, often times ruled by blood relatives. Each had its own capital city. From 330-346 AD, Constantine I (the Great) and his sons issued a few different types of coins that commemorated the centuries-old capital city of Rome and the new city established by Constantine. Named after himself, it was called Constantinopolis. They were minted to commemorate the city of Rome. Urba Roma or can be translated as "The City of Rome".

This coin was minted in the ancient city of Siscia, which was the chief town and colony of the province of Pannonia in what is now called Sisak, Croatia. Officinae were designated by a different letter of the Greek or Roman alphabets (in the case of this coin by the letter gamma indicating that it was struck in the third officina), or by certain recognizable symbols such as palm branches, dots, stars, and sunrises.

This coin was minted by Constantine the Great as part of his campaign of moving his capital from Rome to Constantinople.

RM153-VR-3