NOTES

NUMISMATIC
AND

MONOGRAPHS

No.

FOUR

FROM

MEDALLIONS
ARRAS

By

THE

28

THE

HOARD

AGNES

BALDWIN

NUMISMATIC
SOCIETY
AT
STREET
BROADWAY
I56TH
NEW YORK
AMERICAN

I926

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COPYRIGHT
1926BY
THEAMERICAN
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FOUR MEDALLIONS FROM THE

ARRAS HOARD
BY
AGNESBALDWIN

SOCIETY
NUMISMATIC
THE AMERICAN
AT I56TH STREET
BROADWAY
NEWYORK
I926

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ARRAS

HOARD
i

FOUR MEDALLIONS FROM THE

ARRAS HOARD
By Agnes Baldwin
The followingfour medallionsfrom
hoardfoundat Beaurainstheremarkable
lez-Arrasin 1922 are additionsto the
nine published in Arethuse,January,
1924. They includetwo medallionswith
associatedor double portraitsof membersof thefirsttetrarchy
of Diocletianus
which
are
unique and un(Pis. i, iv)
published,1and two of Constantius
Chlorus. One of thelatter(PI. iii) is a
secondexample2of themedallionof Constantius illustratedin Arethuse
, PI.
viii, 7, whilethe otheris a uniquepiece
and has alreadybeen publishedby Mr.
M. Schulman.3 Besides these four
medallionsfrom the hoard which are
now in this country,a fifthpiece is
knownto be in thecabinetof an AmeriNUMISMATIC

NOTES

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FOUR

MEDALLIONS

can collector. How many more there

were originallyin the hoardis not now
known,since the workmenwho discovered it while diggingin a clay deposit
made away with a considerableportion
of themedallionsand aurei,*of whicha
part only was subsequentlyrecovered.
Rumorcarriesthenumberof medallions
found,to as high a figureas fifty.It
is even reportedthat several of them
were shownto a dealer in Ghent,who
meltedthem up, believingthem to be
spurious. Thus thehoardwas notexamined and studiedintact.
Accordingto M. Duqunoy,Curatorof
the Arras Museum,the treasurewas
buried in two vases- one of silver,of
which fragmentshave been recovered,
and the otherof clay. The silvervase
was presumably
containedwithintheclay
pot.5 It is suggestedby M. Duqunoy
thatthehoardwas perhapsstolenin ancienttimesand buriedin theclaydeposit
at Beaurains-lez-Arras,
as thereare no
tracesof wallsor buildingsindicating
an
ancientsettlement
at thefindspot. Most
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

Fig. i
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FOUR

MEDALLIONS

of thegold coinsand medallionsare discolored with a dull, silverishcoating,

probablydue to chemicalreactionof the
aluminumconstituent
of the clay soil in
whichtheylong lay buried.
The thirteen medallions thus far
known were issued by the following
emperors:Diocletianus(2); Maximianus
Herculius(1) ; Constantius
Chlorus(7) ;
Constantiusand Galerius Maximianus
( i ) ; Diocletianus,Herculius,Constantius and Galerius (1); Constantinus
I
Magnus (1).
The latest medallionis that of Constantinethe Greatas Augustuswiththe
Principi iuventutis reversefromthe
mintof Trves,Fig. 1. The gold unit
whichwas struckcontemporaneously
with
thismedallion
is thecoinshownin Fig. 2.6
The reversetype,figureof Constantine
in militarydress and cloak,standingto
r. withspear and globe,the inscription,
Principi iuventutis,and themint-mark
PTR Percussa Trevirorumare identical
with those of the medallion;while the
obverse differsonly in bearing the
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

headlaureateinsteadof thebustlaureate,
draped,with cuirass,as on the medallion, and a brieferinscription. This
coin,whichwas in thehoard,is a solidus,
and hencecannotbe earlierthan309-310,

Fig. 2
reformwas effected
whena monetary
by
of
Constantinethroughthe substitution
thesolidas of c. 4.55 gr., or seventy-two
to thegold pound,fortheaureusweighing c. 5.45 gr., or sixtyto the pound.
Accordingto Maurice,it belongsto the
thirdissueof theTrvesmint,namelyto
theperiodbetweenMay,309,dateof the
recognitionof Constantineand MaximinusII Daza as Augustiby Galerius,
and June,313,dateof thedeathof Daza.
Anotherexampleof thistypeof solidus
was presentin thehoard,of slightly
differentreversedie.7 Anothersolidusof
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FOUR

MEDALLIONS

Constantine,
Fig. 3, with reversetype,
threemilitarystandards,and inscription
s. p. Q. R. ptimo principi, and mintmark PTR8 and obversesimilarto the
above piece was also in thehoard. This
lattercoin is classifiedby Maurice as
belonginglikewiseto the thirdissue of
at Trves,309-313. The reConstantine
verse inscription,s. p. q. r. optimo
principi, is explained by Maurice
(Nam. Const.I, 204,bronzecoinsof the
for
Roman mint strucksimultaneously
Constantine,Licinius and Maximinus
to therapprochement
Daza), as referring
of Constantineand the Roman Senate,
afterthe defeatand deathof Maxentius
in the battleof the Mulvianbridgeand
into Rome on
the entryof Constantine
October26, 312. On this occasionthe
thetitulus
Senatedecreedto Constantine
nominis
titulus
or
,
primiordinis, primi
his
name
of
the
right placing
namely,
at the head of the list of the Augusti
,
whichhad previously
and of legislating,
belongedto Daza, who had refusedto
yieldit to Constantine.This piece,then,
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

if theabove interpretation
of its reverse
be
inscription correct,
belongstowardthe
end of the period309-313,and supplies
us with a terminuspost quem for the
burialof the hoard,since therewas no

Fig. 3
solidiof laterdatein thehoard. For the
later issues of Constantinewhich are
associatedwiththe Arras hoardcoins in
the Ratto Sale Cat. April, 1923 (cf.
Note 4), suchas Nos. 443,449, ff.(and,
also, we are boundto conclude,No. 446,
a datedpieceof thefourthconsulate,315
A. D., notillustrated)werenota partof
of
the hoard,accordingto the testimony
thosewho examinedit. Moreover,these
in the Ratto
later coins of Constantine
of theperiods313-317,
Catalogue,chiefly
324-326and 336-7,are quitecommonand
are in a morewornconditionthanthose
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FOUR

MEDALLIONS

whichare known
issues of Constantine
to have been in the hoard and belong
to the firstpart of his reign. Finally,
the gap existingbetweenthe issues of
earlierperiodand theselate
Constantine's
coins in the Ratto Cataloguemakes it
impossibleto regardthe lattergroupas
part of the hoard. Of No. 447 in the
Cataloguewe have alreadyspokenas another example of the solidus, Fig. 1.
No. 448, an aureus of Constantineas
Caesar, 306-308, was probablyin the
hoard. As to Nos. 444-445,we can
safelyconcludethattheydid not belong
to it. The veryrare aureusof Maxentius,9Ratto,No. 440, whichis in mint
condition,
belongsto the period309-312,
and would,accordingto theabovereasoning, have been an issue previousto the
s. p. g. R. piece of Constantine.If we
accept the date assigned to this latter
coin by Maurice,the date of the deposit
of the hoard shouldbe given as about
312-313. However,we shouldbe inclined
to date the hoard,aside fromthis particularcoin and the date assignedto it
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

by Maurice,ratherin the middleof the

- or very soon afterthe
period309-312
of the sol-idusin 309-310.
introduction
The fact that therewere only two or
threesolidi in the hoard,and thatthese
are all specimens
of Constantine's
earliest
issues, pointsrathertowardthe middle
than the veryend of the period. The
period during which the coins were
hoarded,therefore,extends from 284,
date of the accessionof Diocletianus,to
309-312,the same range as that of the
medallions. The aurei of an earlier
a treasperiod,describedbelow,represent
ure of gold survivingfromover a hundredyears,whichwas in the possession
of the owner (or owners) who formed
thehoardduringthe last quarterof the
Third Centuryand early part of the
Fourth. Such are the conclusionswhich
can he drawn from a study of this
famoushoard underthe presentcondiaccountof
scientific
tions. A rigorously
cannotbe given
thehoardin its entirety
untilmoreof the now scatteredmaterial
becomesavailable,and a morecomplete
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IO

FOUR

MEDALLIONS

pictureof the hoard can be thus constructed.

As to thegeneralnatureof thehoard,
as it is, we are able to draw
incomplete
what seem to be sound inferences. It
containedgoldmedallions
and aurei (plus
solidi) of the periodfromDiocletianus
to Constantine
the Great; manyaurei of
- fromtheAntonines
an earlierperiod
to
Caracalla, some of which were set in
withattachments
to be worn
mountings
as pendants
; and, in addition,silver
denarii (forty-onewere seen by the
writerin Arras) chieflyof Constantine
(type of Cohen,706, rev.,virtus militum and a fortified
gateway,mint-mark
ptr). Besides these coins, therewere
also objects of jewelry,gold necklaces,
bracelets,a silverspoon,gems,a ring,a
chain,etc. Thus the ensemblemay be
imaginedto have been the propertyof
some high civil functionary
or military
chief,or of his family,residingin Gaul.
In all probability,
it was the family
treasureof some wealthyindividualto
whomsome of the medallionswere preNUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

ii

rewards
sentedas marksof distinction,
for politicalor militaryservice. The
coins in the hoard fall intotwo distinct
groups: (i) the earlieraurei preserved
as bullion,and as jewelry in frames
(Hadrianus,Faustina Sr., Faustina Jr.,
Commodus,Caracalla, Julia Domna are
amongthe mountedpieces seen by the
writer) some of which show signs of
considerablecirculation,covering the
periodfromabout 118 to 211; (2) later
aurei (and solidi) rangingfromDiocletianus to Constantinewhose condition
varies fromslightlyworn to fine,brilliant state, extendingover the period
284-312.
of the
As in thecase of themedallions
Hellevillefind,10those fromArras are
nearlyall unique pieces,for thesemultiple-aurei were struck as imperial
largesses and were not issued in very
large quantities. They are chieflyfive
and ten aurei pieces,all remarkably
well
in
is
some
mint
state.
There
preserved;
no large medallionof Galerius Maximianus,alone,whichis quitein keeping
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12

FOUR

MEDALLIONS

with the circumstance

that the greater
numberof the medallionswerestruckat
the Gallic mint,and that half at least
werestruckby Constantius
Chlorus.The
as faras we can judge,
hoard,therefore,
was formedwithinthe restricted
area of
Constantius'domain.
CONSTANTIUSCHLORUS AND GALERIUS MAXIMIANUS, as Caesars,
293-305A. D.
I. Obv. DD.NN.CONSTANTIO
ET MAXIMIANO
D (ominis)N (ostris),
NOBB.
CAESS.
Constantioet Maximiano
, Nobilissimis
Cacsaribus,"To our lords, Constantius
and Maximianus,most noble Caesars"
of ConHalf-lengthfiguresconfronting
stantiusand GaleriusMaximianus,
heads
laureate,wearing the imperialmantle;
on the left,holds a globe
Constantius,
surmounted
by a Victoryin his right
hand,whileGalerius,on the right,holds
a sceptersurmounted
byan eagle.
Rev. PRiNCiPVM
ivvENTVTis( Principuminventutis)
, "(Of) The Firstof the
Knights". The two Emperorsstanding
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

13

in militarydresswithcloak,bareheaded,
resting left arms on long, upright
- each holding a patera
scepters,
, with
whichtheyare pouringa libationupon
a tripod-altar
placed betweenthem; in
the central background,two military
standards;in the exergue,prom {Percussa Romac), "Struckat Rome".
Gold Medallion. 10 aurei, or denio,
38 mm. 54.27 gr. Unique and unpublished. Plate I.
This unique medallionof Constantius
Chlorus and Galerius Maximianustogetheras Caesars, is one of the earliest
medallionsin the find,as is evidencedby
itsmoreworncondition
as compared
with
thatof the others. The occasionof its
issue is perfectly
clear fromthe obverse
and reversetypesand inscriptions.It
was struckin 293, to commemorate
the
elevationof Constantius
and Galeriusto
the rank of Caesars, Principes iuventutis. On theobverse,we havetheportraitbustsof the two new associatesin
the empireof Diocletianus,clad in the
imperialmantleand holdingemblemsof
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14

FOUR

MEDALLIONS

whileon thereversethetwo
sovereignty,
as "takingthe
Emperorsare represented
at thetripod,accordingto
oathof office"
the traditionaltype.
Diocletianusascended the thronein
November,284, and reignedalone until
April, 285, when he associated with
him MaximianusHerculius directlyas
Augustuswithoutfirsthavingappointed
himCaesar. On March1, 293,he called
and
to the rankof Caesars, Constantius
GaleriusMaximianus,and just as Diocletianuswas the firstAugustus and
Maximianus Herculius the second, so
Constantius
was thefirstCaesar in rank,
and Galeriusthe second.11 Hence there
in the orderof the names
is significance
of the Caesars in the obverseinscripthe portraiton
tion. Correspondingly,
to be identified
theleftis unquestionably
the Caesar of
as that of Constantius,
senior rank. That this positionof the
to his prior
seniorin rankcorresponding
mentionin the inscription
runningfrom
withconfrontleftto righton medallions
ing portraitswas a regularlyobserved
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

15

is borneout by othermedalconvention,
lions of this type. On the medallion
of Diocletianusand MaximianusHerculiusin Florence,12
thetwoAugustiare
so placed in orderof seniority,
Diocletianuson the left and Herculiuson the
of
right. For, althoughthe portraiture
this period is very conventional,
Herculius is here unmistakable
on account
- a decidedly
of his prominentfeature
retroussnose. On medallionsstruckby
Constantine
the Great,havingas reverse
busts of the Caesars,
typesconfronting
Crispus and Constantine,
Jr.,13and of
Crispus and ConstantiusII,14 the figure on the left in each case is that of
Crispus. This is made evident,not by
the portraiture,
whichis utterlyconventional,but by the deviceof representing
the seniorin rank,Crispus,as of larger
size than the juniors,who were,indeed
so manyyearsyounger.15
Our medallionwas struckat Romeand
is thesecondone in the Arras findfrom
thismint. For, the medallionof Diocletianus, Arethuse,PI. viii, 3, although
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i6

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MEDALLIONS

withoutmint-mark,
is probablya product
of theRomanmint,accordingto its style.
The flan,likethatof theabovementioned
denio of Diocletianusand Herculiusin
thanthose
Florence,is smallerand thicker
of the other dentonesof the hoard,10
namely,the London medallionof Conl. c., PI. vii, and the
stantius,AretJiuse,
medallionbearing the portraitsof the
of
four membersof the firsttetrarchy
Diocletianus (Plate iv). Of 'these two
latter pieces, the London medallionis
from the mint of Trves, while the
medallionof thetetrarchy
bearsno indicationof theplace of issue,but fromits
stylemaybe assignedto the Gallicmint.
The goldunits,or aurei,corresponding
to our multiple-piece
of tenaurei are the
coins struckby Constantius,
Cohen,233,
and byGalerius,C. 178,var. On theformer piece, Fig. 4, the reversetype is
that of the Emperorin militarydress
with cloak,bareheaded,standingto left
holdinga militarystandardin the right
handand restingon a long scepterwith
the left; the inscription,Principi
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

17

prom are
iuvENTUTis,and mint-mark
identicalwiththoseon themedallion.On

Fig. 4
the latterpiece,Fig. 5, the reversetype
is similar,but the Emperoris laureate,
and the inscriptionis Principi iuventut. The obversesbear laureateheads,
and the inscriptions,
D N Constantio

Fig. 5
Caes and D N Maximiano Caes, thus
withtheinscripcorresponding
perfectly
tion on our denio of Constantiusand
Galerius,whichis also in thedativecase.
Thus we have in these coins the units
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i8

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MEDALLIONS

which were issued contemporaneously

with the medallion,a correspondence
demonstrated
above in the case of the
Principi iuventutis denio and solidus
of Constantine.
Otherexamplesmaybe citedof medallions of whichthereexist different
denominations
in gold,as follows:themedallion of Diocletianusand Herculius
in Florence,17a denio
above mentioned
to which there is a corresponding
quinio18in Berlin;themedallionof Herculius in Budapest,19
a quinio,withthe
reversetypeof thetwo Emperorsseated,
facing,on curulechairs,each carryinga
globe, crownedby Jupiter(?) on 1.
and Herculeson r., withthe inscription
Perpetua concordia Augg. and mintmark PR, for which there exist correspondingaurei struckby Diocletianus
and Herculius20witha slightmodificationin thetype,thetwoEmperorsseated
to 1. on curulechairs,each carryinga
globeand crownedby Victory,aboveand
betweenthem,withtheinscription,
Concordiae Augg. nn. These aurei are
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

19

and are doubtlessof

withoutmint-mark
the Roman mintas is the medallion.21
Fromtheexistenceof theseaureiof each
Emperor,we shouldinferthata quinio
of similar type to that of Herculius,
thoughnot now known,was also issued
forDiocletianus.
The quinioof Herculiusjust mentioned
in thesame
was issuedin 293,therefore,
year,22as ourmedallionfromArraswith
the doubleportraitsof Constantiusand
Galerius,the Caesars whoseappointment
it commemorates.The occasion for its
issue was probablythecelebration
of the
Decennalia of the two Augustias may
be inferredfromthereversetypeand inscription. Thus, in the year 293 there
werestruck( 1) ourdenioof theCaesars,
the namingof the two
commemorating
new colleaguesin the empire,and (2)
two quiniones,one each of
presumably,
Diocletianus and Herculius, the two
harAugusti,to recallthe long-standing
mony,perpetuaconcordia,existingbetweenthem,and to expresshopesforits
continuance.
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20

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MEDALLIONS

CONSTANTIUSCHLORUS,as Caesar
,
A. D.
293-305
NO2. Ob' FL. VAL. CONSTANTIVS
BiLissiMvs C. Fl(avius) Val(erius)
Constant
ins, Nobilissimus C(aesar).
Head of ConstantiusChlorus to r.,
bearded,wearingthelion'sscalpas headdress.
Rev. marti Victoi "To Mars Victor". Mars Victoradvancingto r.,wearing helmetand floatingmantle,carrying
a trophyover 1. shoulderand a spear
in r. hand; in the exergue,
transversely
TR.
Gold medallion. 5 aurei, or quinto.
23 mm.26.15 gr. Unique. Plate II.
This medallionwas issued,as its obtellsus, whileConstanverseinscription
tius was still Caesar, hence,withinthe
period293-305. The reversetypequite
victory. M.
plainlyalludesto a military
Schulman( op. cit.note3) refersthetype
to eventsof theyear,298,in whichConstantiuswona victoryovertheAlemanni
who had invadedGaul in the districtof
NUMISMATIC

NOTES

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ARRAS

HOARD

21

the Lingones (Langres). However,the

obversetype of this medallionconnects
it withanothermedallionof Constantius
fromtheArrashoardbearingan identical
head of Constantiusin the lion's scalp
with a reversedepictingthe Emperor
standingto r. in militarydress, with
spear,holdingout his righthandto greet
a kneelingfemalefigurewho holdsspear
and shield, while Victory at the left
crowns the Emperor, Arethuse, PL
viii, 6. This medallionis connectedin
turnby identicalreversetype,Emperor
and kneelingfigureand Victory,witha
thirdissue of Constantius,
Arethuse
, PI.
viii, 5, having as obversetype a bust
of the Emperorin imperialmantle,holding a sceptersurmounted
by an eagle.
These threemedallionsare all of Constantiusas Caesar, and are bound together,all three,as strictlycontemporaneousissues by theirinterlinking
obverse and reversetypes,and theirmintmarks.
Hence the questionarises whetherit
can be the victoryover the Alemanni
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whichoccasionedthe issue of thisseries

of threemedallionsor some otherand
moreconspicuousmilitarysuccess. Is it
not moreprobablethat thesethreemedallionsreferto thevictorywonby Constantiusover Allectusin 296, and which
was celebratedby the strikingof the
famousLondonmedallion? This is the
opinionof the authorsof the articlein
thekneelingfigArethuse,who interpret
ure as thatof Britannia.23
The head of Constantius
coveredwith
the lion's scalp of Hercules,is an entirely unique representationfor this
Emperor. It is notmerelya servileimitation of the head-dressworn by the
Emperor,MaximianusHerculius. The
explanation is far more interesting.
When Diocletianusand Maximianus,
the
the
, associatedwiththemselves,
Augusti
two new Caesars, Constantius and
Galerius, the two elder Emperorseach
proceededto found a divine imperial
dynasty,and each adoptedan heir into
this new mythicalfamily. Diocletianus
took forhimselfthe surnameof Jovius,
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and thereby established the Jovian

dynasty,makingGalerius his heir and
successor,whileMaximianusassumedthe
name of Herculius, and foundedthe
Herculiandynasty,
adoptingConstantius
as his heir.24 Hence the lion's scalp of
the hero,Hercules,whichsits so oddly
on the aristocraticRomanhead of ConstantiusChlorus.
CONSTANTIUSCHLORUS,as Augustus,
305-306A. D.
PIVS F.
3. Obv. IMP. CONSTANTIVS
AVG. Imp{erator) ConstantiusPius
F(elix) Aug(ustus). Bust of Constantius,beardedand laureateto 1., wearing
the imperialmantle,and holdingin his
by an
righthandthe sceptersurmounted
eagle.
Rev. TEMPORVMfelicitas. "The
Luck of the times",or "The auspicious
era". Two figuresstanding,clad in the
toga, each holdinga volumenin the 1.
hand and a paterain the r., withwhich
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altar placed betweenthem,in frontof

a tetrastyletemple; on each side, a
camillus,or nobleyouth,holdinga palm;
above the altar, a flute-player
; in the
backgroundbetweenthe columns,heads
of spectators;in the exergue,ptr.
Gold medallion. 5 aurei, or quinio.
32 mm.21.35Sr- Secondexampleknown.
Plate III .
The similarmedallionnow in Arras,
Arethuse,PI. viii, 7, is fromdifferent
obverseand reversedies.
This medallionwas issued duringthe
was not
period,305-306,for Constantius
elevatedto the rank of Augustusuntil
May i, 305,and he died on July25, 306.
The reversetyperecallsthe"Luck of the
times"and has its prototype
on bronze
medallionsof the reigns of Antoninus
PhiPius, Marcus Aurelius,Commodus,
lippus,Jr.,Philippus,Sr. 25
On certainof thesepieces of Marcus
Aureliusand Commodus,
theinscriptions
Vota suscepta, Vota publica, Vota
soluta show that this typedepictsthe
of the celebration
of the Vota
ceremony
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festivals,the Quinquennaliaor Decenand ten-yearannivernalia,the five-year

sariesof thereign.20 On thegoldmedallion of Diocletianus from our hoard,
Arethuse,I. c. PI. viii, 2, a similartype
(withoutthe templeand assistants)occurswiththe inscription
Felicitas temporum. The piece was struckat Trves
in the eighthconsulshipof the Emperor,
namely,in 303. As this was the year
of the Vicennial festival of Diocle27it wouldseemreasonablein view
tianus,
of the reversetype28to attribute
the occasionof theissueof thisdatedmedallion
anniverto the Vicennalia,or twentieth
medallion,
saryof his reign. Constantius'
on the otherhand,could not have been
issued simultaneously
withthat of Diocletianusjustcitedsince,of course,he was
notyetan Augustusin theyear,303. But
as thereversesof bothof thesequiniones
are similar,bearingas theydo the same
and thetraditional
typewhich
inscription
the Vota festivals,our
commemorates
medallionof Constantius
probablyrefers
to a similarevent. As it was certainly
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issuedafterMay i, 305, whenConstantiusand Galeriuswereraisedto therank

of Augusti
, throughthe abdicationof
Diocletianusand Herculiuswho retired
to the rankof senioresAugusti,the two
Emperorson the reverseare mostnatas Constantius
urallyto be interpreted
and Galerius. The medallionmay then
have been struckto commemorate
their
as Augustiin 305 whileat
appointment
the same time recalling their recent
in 303. If thisbe
Decennialanniversary
correct,we should assume that a cormedallionwas also issuedby
responding
Galerius.29 To conclude,our medallion
the appointment
probablycommemorates
of Constantiusas Augustus,and the
two-Emperor
type on the reversesuggeststhata similarquiniomayhave been
issuedfor Galeriusin his domain. The
medallionof Diocletianus,Arethuse,PI.
viii,2, wouldalreadyhave beenissuedin
303, and our reversetypewas probably
inspiredby it.
The obverseis by far the best portraitof this Emperorknownon coinsor
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medallions. Constantiuswas the only

member
of thetetrarchy
whowas a lineal
descendantof an ancientRomanfamily.
His forebears were descended from
ClaudiusII Gothicusin the femaleline,
and his originis vouchedforby his delicate aristocratic
profilewithits strongly
characterized
Romannose. Comparehis
Nos. 2 and
portraiton our medallions,30
the
3, withthatof his son, Constantine
Great,on the Arras medallion,31
Fig. 1,
and note the long, aquiline noses, and
thenobservethe decidedlyplebeianfeaturesof MaximianusHerculiusand Diocletianuson this same group of medallions.32 One gains fromthesenew portraitson the medallionsfromArras of
the Trves mint,a muchmorevividand
doubtlessmore correctidea of the personalappearanceof bothConstantius,
who
was so genuinelya Roman,and of his
theGreat,thanfromany
son,Constantine
of their medallion portraitshitherto
known. Compare,for example,the gold
medallion of Constantius struck at
Siscia, Gnecchi,PI. 5, 9, and the Arras
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medallionstruckat Tarraco, Arethuse,

PI. viii, 8, neitherof whichcan now be
likeness. Constanregardedas a faithful
tius Chlorus,thus surnamedfrom his
pale coloring,was of milderdisposition
than Maximianus Herculius, and this
in the
is especiallyreflected
characteristic
portraiton our medallion. He was betweensixtyand seventyyearsold, when
themedallionwas issued.
DIOCLETIANUS, MAXIMIANUS HERCULIUS,CONSTANTIUSCHLORUS
AND GALERIUS MAXIMIANUS,
293-305A. D.
AVG.ET MAX4. Obv. DIOCLETIANVS
iMiANVSc. DiocletianusAug(ustus) et
MaximianusC(aesar). Busts of Diocletianus(on theleft) and GaleriusMaximianus (on the right), confronting,
beardedand laureate,and wearingthe
imperialmantle.
MIANVS AVG.ET CONSTANRev. MAXI
Tivs c. MaximianusAug(ustus) et ConstantiusC(aesar). Bustsof Maximianus
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29

Herculius(on theleft) and of Constantius Chlorus(on the right). Type similar to obverse.
Gold medallion. 10 aurei, or dcnio.
42 mm. 54.40 gr. Unique and unpublished. Plate IV.
This trulyremarkablemedallionpresents the four co-rulersof the first
of Diocletianus,
tetrarchy
groupednotas
pairs of Augustiand Caesares, but, as
each of an Augustusand
pairs,consisting
a Caesar. Diocletianusand his adopted
son and heir to the empire,Galerius
Maximianus,occupythe obverse,while
MaximianusHerculiusand his adopted
son and heir,Constantius
Chlorus,appear
on thereverse.
There is no mint-name,
but,as stated
also
this
medallion
was probably
above,
struckat Trves as were the majority
of thosein thehoard. The medallionis
struckon a muchlarger flan than the
medallionof Constantiusand Galerius,
No. i, whichis of the same denomination. To this circumstance,
the broader
flanenablingthe artistto engraveupon
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it heads on a muchlargerscale, is due

themoremedalliccharacterof thepiece.
as boththeobverseand reFurthermore,
verseare occupiedby portraitbustsand
there is no exergualline, the medallic
qualityis still further
heightened.
The occasionfortheissueof thispiece,
one feelsconvinced,musthave been an
one. Does it then comextraordinary
memorate
the formation
of the tetrarchy
in 293? This wouldbe perfectly
in keeping with the subjectmatterof the meon each face,an
dallion,whichrepresents
Augustuspairedwitha Caesar. It must
surelyhave beenissuedwithintheperiod
Mar. i, 293-MayI, 305, aftertheaccession of Constantiusand Galerius as
Caesars,and beforetheirelevationto the
rankof Augustiupon the retirement
of
Diocletianusand Herculiusto the positionof senioresor honorary
Augusti.
But is it not just as probablethatthe
medallionwas struckin 303, to commemoratean eventof even greaterimportance,the Vicennial anniversaryor
jubilee of the reignof the two Augusti
,
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and the Decennial anniversaryof the

Caesars? This wouldcertainly
havebeen
an occasionof signal importance
which
wouldcall forthe issue of a commemorativepiece such as this. As far as the
hoard in generalis concerned,
this date
is perfectlyin keeping,for the burial
musthave been as late as 309-312,the
broad date of the issue of Constantine
the Great'smedallion,Arethuse
, PI. viii,
9, and it may possiblyhave been just
theendof thisperiod,to judge
following
fromthe presencein the hoard of the
solidusof Constantine,
Fig. 3, which,accordingto Maurice,was notstruckbefore
312-313. (See, however,above page 6.)
thismedallion
is in fresh,pracMoreover,
ticallymintcondition. Hence the date,
303, appearsthe moreprobablewhenwe
compareits conditionwith that of the
medallionof Constantiusand Galerius,
No. i, whichwas certainly
struckin 293,
and is by far the mostwornof all the
medallionsheredescribed.Of thosestill
in Arras,onlythe medallionof Diocletianus, Arethuse,PI. viii, 3, shows a
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similardegreeof wear. Of coursetoo

muchstresscannotbe laid on the argumentas to conditionin relationto medallions,forthesecommemorative
pieces
probablywere very seldom circulated.
thisdifference
of condition
Nevertheless,
would inclineus to place the medallion
in the year of the dual
of the tetrarchy
anniversaryof the Augusti and the
Caesars, ratherthanin thatof theformation of the tetrarchy.

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NOTES
1Medallion,
No. i, maypossibly
notbelong
to thehoard.It is somewhat
morewornthan
the othermedallions,
and has not the discoloration
ofthegoldpeculiar
tothemedallions
andaureiofthisfind.It is from
themintof
whilemostoftheother
medallions
bearRome,
are fromtheTrvesmint.
ing a mint-mark
Thereis, however,
oneothermedallion
in the
without
a mint-mark
hoard,which,
though
is,
to its style,probably
also fromthe
according
Romanmint,Arethuse
, PI. viii,3. Hence,
alonedoes not constitute
the mint-mark
an
of No. 1 in the
to the inclusion
objection
to thiscountry
hoard. Also,it was brought
from
Arras.
withothermedallions
2Cf.NavilieCat.XI, PI. 38,977
3Jaarboek
voorMunten Penningkunde
,
1923,illus.,p. 80.
4Thenumber
ofaureiis conjectured
tohave
beenupwards
ofthreehundred.
Abouteighty
of thembelonging
to theperiod,
Diocletianus
to Constantine
the Great,appearedin the
RattoSale Cat.,April,1923 (Nos. 375 if).
About130 aureiwereseenat Arrasby the
of which87 wereof theperiod
of the
writer,
Antonines.
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5It is equallyreasonable
to supposethat
in thetwovasessepthehoardwascontained
forit was madeup of twodistinct
arately,
lots,an earlierlot of aurei rangingfrom
Hadrianus
to Caracalla,
anda laterlotrangDiocletianus
toConstantine
theGreat.
ingfrom
6Cohen,412; Maurice,
Num.Constant.
I,
p. 399,X.
7RattoSale Cat.,April,1923. No.447.
8 Cohen,556- Maurice,
I, p. 401,xiv.
NowJameson
Coll.,Cat.Ill, No. 476.
10Rev.Num.1906.
Il J.Maurice,
Rev.Num.1904,p. 74.
1-Gnecchi,
Med.Rom.PI. 5, 1; Cohen,
43.
13Cohen,
p. 320,No.2.
14Cohen,
p. 321,No. 1.
ISCrispuswas bornin 300,and Constanto Maurice,
tiusII in 317. According
Constantine,
Jr.was bornin 314. {Num.Const.
iii,p. 190.)
18The medallion
of Constantine,
Arethuse,
also to be reckoned
PI. viii,9, is probably
as itsweight,
as a denioofthesolidus
standard,
40.72gr.,thoughsomewhat
light,seemsto
-solidi
classit as a ten
piece.
17Gnecchi,
Med.Rom.PI. 5, 1- Cohen,
43,
Florence.
18Gnecchi,
PI. 5, 2, Berlin.
1Gnecchi,
PI. 5, 7: notin Cohen,
Budapest.
20Cohen,
p. 419,38 andp. 498,47.
21Cf. Jameson
Cat. II, Pl. xiv,Nos. 309,
ofaurei.
313 forthese
types
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22Its obverse,
Herhead of Maximianus
culiusin thelion'sscalpis ofthesamedieas
of thisEmperor,
medallion
thatof another
rewithdifferent
theO-Szny
also from
find,
versetype(Num.Zeit.1891,Pl. IV, 3,4) and
medallion
ona third
reverse
thislatter
appears
withtheinfrom
thesamefind,
of Herculius
Virtuti
Augg.V. et IUI cos. (ibid.
scription
PI. viii,1) whichprovesthatall threewere
of
in 293,yearof thefifth
struck
consulship
of Maximianus.
andthefourth
Diocletianus
23Cf. also W. Kubitschek,
Der Schatzfund
vonArras,Num.Zeit.1924,p. 86 ff.
24J.Maurice,
Rev.Num.1904,p. 72.
the articleby Col. Voetter,
Cf. further,
Herculiand Iovi,Num.Zeit.1901,forcoins
on whichthe
of thetetrarchy
of themembers
occur.
titlesandsymbols
andHerculian
Jovian
A seriesfromthe Romanmintbearsin the
: Diocletianus,Pexerguethe following
TS-club
thunderbolt
; Chlorus,
; Maximianus,
A goldmedalclub;Galerius,
Q-thunderbolt.
hadas rein thePariscabinet
lionformerly
withthetwoEmverse,Iovio et Herculio,
sacriand Maximianus,
perors,Diocletianus
and
ficingat a tripod,and,above,Jupiter
a
on an altar,holding,
Hercules
respectively,
and a club. A bronzemedallion
thunderbolt
(Cohen,p. 481,No. 41) bearstheconfrontand Maximianus,
ing bustsof Diocletianus
MonetaIovi ct Herculi
and on thereverse,
of Moneta
witha figure
duorum,
Augustorum
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between
and Hercules.Constantius
Jupiter
andGalerius,
as Caesars
, eachissuedan idenon horseback
ticalreverse
type,theEmperor
(Cohen,306and215) withrespective
inscripHerculiCaesarisandVirtus
Iovi
tions,Virtus
Caesaris.
25Gnecchi,
Med.Rom.,Pis. 50,2, 3; 61,3;
63,2, 9; 89,2-5; 108,9; 109,6.
2CLaterbronzemedallions
repeatthistype
witha different
suchas Saeculum
inscription,
- LudiSaecularcs,
Novum
Jr.,Gnecchi,
Philip,
PI. 108,9; Philip,Sr.,Gnecchi,
PI. 109,6.
27Commemorated
on an aureusfromthe
No. 391.
hoard,
Ratto,
28Cf.thetypeofthetwoEmperors,
Diocleat
andMaximianus
tianus
Herculius,
sacrificing
an altar,withVotisX andVotisDcccnnalibus
issuesoftheseEmperors,
C. p.
onsmallbronze
475,532,andp. 562,668.
29A smallbronzeof Galerius,
as Caesar,
VotisX has,as
C. 235,withtheinscription
thetraditional
Galerius,
laureate,
type,
reverse,
at a lighted
cladin thetoga,sacrificing
altar,
aureusrecorded
butthereis no corresponding
in Cohen.
30Also,similartypesin Arcthusc,
PI. viii,
6, 7.
31Op.cit.Pl. viii,9.
32Op.cit.Pl. viii,4, 3.

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Plate I

- Galerius Maximianus
ConstantiusChlorus

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Plate II

ConstantiusChlorus

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Plate III

ConstantiusChlorus

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Plate IV

Medallionof the Tetrarchy

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