Rare Genuine ancient Roman coin Constans soldiers spears standard Chi-rho moon

Description

One original ancient Roman Bronze coin of:
Constans - Roman Emperor: 337-350 A.D. -
AE 4 16mm. 1.52gm.
Siscia mint. (EF)  Well centered superb specimen.
Original glossy patina over ancient silvering.
Obv./
CONSTAN-S PF AVG, laurel and rosette-diademed, draped, cuirassed bust right
.
Rev.
/
/ GLOR-IA EXERC-ITVS, two soldiers holding spears and shields with one standard between them, chi-rho on banner. Mintmark ASIS dot-in-crescent.
RIC VIII Siscia 100.
Authenticity guaranteed.
Standards
Roman military standards. The standards with discs, or
signa
(
first three on left
) belong to
centuriae
of the legion (the image does not show the heads of the standards - whether spear-head or wreathed-palm). Note (
second from right
) the legion's
aquila
. The standard on the extreme right probably portrays the
She-wolf
(
lupa
) which fed
Romulus
, the legendary founder of Rome. (This was the emblem of
Legio VI Ferrata
, a legion then based in
Judaea
, a detachment of which is known to have fought in Dacia). Detail from Trajan's Column, Rome
Modern reenactors parade with replicas of various legionary standards. From left to right:
signum
(spear-head type), with four discs;
signum
(wreathed-palm type), with six discs;
imago
of ruling emperor; legionary
aquila
;
vexillum
of commander (
legatus
) of
Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix
, with embroidered name and emblem (
Capricorn
) of legion
Each tactical unit in the imperial army, from
centuria
upwards, had its own standard. This consisted of a pole with a variety of adornments that was borne by dedicated standard-bearers who normally held the rank of
duplicarius
. Military standards had the practical use of communicating to unit members where the main body of the unit was situated, so that they would not be separated, in the same way that modern tour-group guides use umbrellas or flags. But military standards were also invested with a mystical quality, representing the divine spirit (
genius
) of the unit and were revered as such (soldiers frequently prayed before their standards). The loss of a unit's standard to the enemy was considered a terrible stain on the unit's honour, which could only be fully expunged by its recovery.
The standard of a
centuria
was known as a
signum
, which was borne by the unit's
signifer
. It consisted of a pole topped by either an open palm of a human hand or by a spear-head. The open palm, it has been suggested, originated as a symbol of the
maniple
(
manipulus
= "handful"), the smallest tactical unit in the
Roman army of the mid-Republic
. The poles were adorned with two to six silver discs (the significance of which is uncertain). In addition, the pole would be adorned by a variety of cross-pieces (including, at bottom, a crescent-moon symbol and a tassel). The standard would also normally sport a cross-bar with tassels.
The standard of a Praetorian cohort or an auxiliary cohort or
ala
was known as a
vexillum
or banner. This was a square flag, normally red in colour, hanging from a crossbar on the top of the pole. Stitched on the flag would be the name of the unit and/or an image of a god. An exemplar found in Egypt bears an image of the goddess Victory on a red background. The
vexillum
was borne by a
vexillarius
. A legionary detachment (
vexillatio
) would also have its own
vexillum
. Finally, a
vexillum
traditionally marked the commander's position on the battlefield.
[194]
The exception to the red colour appears to have been the Praetorian Guard, whose
vexilla
, similar to their clothing, favoured a blue background.
From the time of
Marius
(consul 107 BC), the standard of all legions was the
aquila
("eagle"). The pole was surmounted by a sculpted eagle of solid gold, or at least gold-plated silver, carrying thunderbolts in its claws (representing
Jupiter
, the highest Roman god. Otherwise the pole was unadorned. No exemplar of a legionary eagle has ever been found (doubtless because any found in later centuries were melted down for their gold content). The eagle was borne by the
aquilifer
, the legion's most senior standard-bearer. So important were legionary eagles as symbols of Roman military prestige and power, that the imperial government would go to extraordinary lengths to recover those captured by the enemy. This would include launching full-scale invasions of the enemy's territory, sometimes decades after the eagles had been lost e.g. the expedition in 28 BC by
Marcus Licinius Crassus
against
Genucla
(Isaccea, near modern
Tulcea
, Rom., in the Danube delta region), a fortress of the
Getae
, to recover standards lost 33 years earlier by
Gaius Antonius
, an earlier
proconsul
of
Macedonia
. Or the campaigns of AD 14-17 to recover the three eagles lost by
Varus
in AD 6 in the
Teutoburg Forest
.
Under Augustus, it became the practice for legions to carry portraits (
imagines
) of the ruling emperor and his immediate family members. An
imago
was usually a bronze bust carried on top of a pole like a standard by an
imaginifer
.
From around the time of Hadrian (r. 117-38), some auxiliary
alae
adopted the dragon-standard (
draco
) commonly carried by Sarmatian cavalry squadrons. This was a long cloth wind-sock attached to an ornate sculpture of an open dragon's mouth. When the bearer (
draconarius
) was galloping, it would make a strong hissing-sound.
Decorations
The Roman army awarded a variety of individual decorations (
dona
) for valour to its legionaries.
Hasta pura
was a miniature spear;
phalerae
were large medal-like bronze or silver discs worn on the cuirass;
armillae
were bracelets worn on the wrist; and
torques
were worn round the neck, or on the cuirass. The highest awards were the
coronae
("crowns"), of which the most prestigious was the
corona civica
, a crown made oak-leaves awarded for saving the life of a fellow Roman citizen in battle. The most valuable award was the
corona muralis
, a crown made of gold awarded to the first man to scale an enemy rampart. This was awarded rarely, as such a man hardly ever survived.
There is no evidence that auxiliary common soldiers received individual decorations like legionaries, although auxiliary officers did. Instead, the whole regiment was honoured by a title reflecting the type of award e.g.
torquata
("awarded a torque") or
armillata
("awarded bracelets"). Some regiments would, in the course of time, accumulate a long list of titles and decorations e.g.
cohors I Brittonum Ulpia torquata pia fidelis c.R.
.
Flavius Julius Constans
(320-350) was a
Roman Emperor
who ruled from 337 until his death. Constans was the third and youngest son of
Constantine the Great
and
Fausta
, Constantine's second wife.
On 25 December 333 Constantine elevated Constans to Caesar.
In 337 he succeeded his father, jointly with his older brothers
Constantine II
and
Constantius II
, receiving
Italy
,
Pannonia
and
Africa
as his portion. Constantine II, who ruled over Gaul, Spain and Britain, attempted to take advantage of his youth and inexperience by invading Italy in 340, but Constans defeated Constantine at
Aquileia
, where the older brother died. The invasion was the effect of brotherly tensions between the two emperors. Constantine II was, at first, Constans's guardian. As Constans grew older, Constantine II never relinquished that position.
In 341-2, Constans led a successful campaign against the
Franks
and in the early months of 343 visited
Britain
. The source for this visit,
Julius Firmicus Maternus
, does not give a reason for this but the quick movement and the danger involved in crossing the
channel
in the dangerous winter months, suggests it was in response to a military emergency of some kind, possibly to repel the
Picts
and
Scots
.
Regarding religion, Constans was tolerant of Judaism but promulgated an edict banning pagan sacrifices in 341. He suppressed
Donatism
in Africa and supported
Nicene orthodoxy
against
Arianism
, which was championed by his brother Constantius the latter. Constans called the
Council of Sardica
, which unsuccessfully tried to settle the conflict.
In 350, the general
Magnentius
declared himself emperor with the support of the troops on the
Rhine
frontier, and later the entire Western portion of the Roman Empire. Constans lacked any support beyond his immediate household, and was forced to flee for his life. Magnentius' supporters cornered him in a fortification in Helena, southwestern
Gaul
, where he was killed by Magnentius's assassins.
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