Modern Silver Ασημί, Μπρούντζος Μενταγιόν με νόμισμα του Κωνσταντίνου Β' από την Αρχαία Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία. (χωρίς τιμή ασφαλείας)

ITEM: pendant με νομισμα Constantine II
MATERIAL: Ασήμι και μπρούντζος
CULTURE: Ρωμαϊκή
PERIOD: 4ος Αιώνας μ.Χ
DIMENSIONS: διάμετρος 21 χιλιοστά
CONDITION: Καλή κατάσταση. Αρχικό νόμισμα σε μια σύγχρονη χειροποίητη κυκλική ασημένια στεφάνη.
PROVENANCE: Από ιδιωτική συλλογή στο Βέλγιο, αγορασμένο τη δεκαετία του 1990 (ΝΟΜΙΣΜΑ)

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity.

COIN DESCRIPTION: Constantine II AE follis, Heraclea. AD 325-326. CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C, laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right / PROVIDENTIAE CAESS, campgate, seven layers, two turrets, star above, no doors. Mintmark SMHA. RIC VII Heraclea 77. 19 mm 2,15 gr.

Constantine II, born Flavius Claudius Constantinus in 316 CE, was the eldest son of Constantine the Great and Fausta. Elevated to the rank of Caesar at just one year old, he was groomed for leadership from infancy within the complex political landscape of the late Roman Empire. Following his father’s death in 337 CE, he ascended to the position of Augustus alongside his younger brothers, Constantius II and Constans. In the tripartite division of the empire, Constantine II was granted control over the westernmost prefectures, including Gaul, Britain, and Hispania, establishing his court at Trier to oversee the defense of the Rhine frontier.

His reign was characterized by a brewing fraternal rivalry and a struggle for seniority. As the eldest brother, Constantine II initially acted as a guardian to the youngest, Constans, who ruled Italy and North Africa. However, as Constans came of age and asserted his independence, tensions escalated over territorial boundaries and administrative authority. Constantine II claimed that he had been sidelined in the division of the empire and sought to annex more territory to match his status as the senior Augustus. This power struggle eventually led to a diplomatic breakdown, as the brothers were unable to reconcile their conflicting ambitions for total control over the Western Roman Empire.

The life of Constantine II came to a violent end in 340 CE when he launched a military invasion of Italy to seize territory from Constans. Expecting a swift victory while his brother was occupied elsewhere, Constantine II led his troops through the Alps, only to be lured into an ambush near Aquileia. He was killed in a minor skirmish, and his body was reportedly thrown into the river Alsa. Following his death, Constans claimed his brother's former territories, and Constantine II was subjected to damnatio memoriae, a formal erasure from public records and monuments. His short-lived reign serves as a stark example of the instability that plagued the Constantinian dynasty and the precarious nature of shared imperial power.