The Story Behind the Strike
This solidus was struck at Nicomedia in AD 335, when Constantine celebrated the exceptional achievement of three decades in power. His reign had reunited the empire, established Constantinople as an imperial capital and transformed Christianity’s public position. The coin is equally revealing as an object of visual change: the elaborate diadem and carefully arranged hair point toward medieval kingship, while Victory and Genius preserve a deliberate connection to Rome’s older religious and political vocabulary.