Coin talk > Late Roman Bronze coins
VIRTVS EXERCIT with "Chi-Rho" in field
Victor:
I just got another example. I am starting to think more and more that the symbol is a stylized interpretation of a star, stars are very common on late Roman bronze coins and the simplest answer may just be the right one.
Licinius II
A.D. 319- 320
18x19mm 2.7gm
LICINIVS IVN NOB C; Laureate, draped, Victory on globe in right hand, mappa in left hand.
VIRTVS-EXERCIT; Standard inscribed VOT/XX with captive seated on ground on either side, in left field Iota-Chi.
in ex. TT
RIC VII Ticinum 119
seth:
Here is an Aquileia Crispus with this so called chi-iota symbol.
livingwater:
Hi all,
This symbol is interesting. The historian Alfoldi understood the account by Lactantius to be a chi-rho that was hastily painted on the soldiers shields so as to look more like an iota-chi. The die engravers would have had more time to get it right I would think. Another possibility is that the symbol stood for Jesus Christ, in Greek Iesos Xristos (spelling?). The iota-chi symbol for Christ is found on a few late Roman tomb inscriptions of Christians. According to Eusebius whose account I assume to be biased, Constantine entrusted fifty soldiers to care for his chi-rho standard and Licinius was afraid to attack Constantine's soldiers where the standard was located (Life of Constantine). We may never know for certain the exact meaning of this symbol on these issues. We could easily conclude this symbol as a simple star if it weren't for the possibility it has Christian meaning. Back in 2003 I wrote an article for The Celator about these symbols. I hadn't read it for years so I reread it this morning, refreshed my mind on the subject. Attached are two of my coins. My Constantine with chi-rho on helmet is one of my favorites in my collection. It's pretty rare. I've only seen two or three for sale. Mark
Victor:
Hello Mark, welcome to the forum. I remember your Celator article well and believe that I still have that issue. Thanks for posting your VLPP with the chi- rho, that was really a great buy on that one.
livingwater:
Hi Victor,
I forgot to add that there's a rare Ticinum issue of Constantine II (RIC 129) with iota-chi in left field and an obvious star in right field. Makes me think the iota-chi is something other than a star. I saw another rare coin type on ebay about two years ago. I won the bid but it was lost in the mail, darn. The seller refunded my sixteen bucks. It's a Constantinopolis with rev two soldiers and chi-rho standard. I hadn't seen one of these before. It's in rough shape but here it is, wherever it ended up...
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