Solidus of Theodosius II

Solidus, a gold coin of Emperor Theodosius II (Flavius Theodosius, lived 401-450, reigned 408-450), was minted in Constantinople between 441 and 450. The surfaces are somewhat worn, but the contents of the obverse and reverse are still legible. The obverse shows a bust of Emperor Theodosius II wearing a diadem on his head and armour on his chest. In his right hand, he holds the spar of a spear that is resting on his right shoulder. To the left, there is the outline of the upper edge of the shield. In the rim, one can read the inscription DN THEODOSIVS PF AVG. The reverse depicts a figure of Constantinopolis seated on a throne facing right. Behind her, leaning against the throne rests a round shield. In her right hand, the character holds a royal apple with a cross (globus cruciger), and a long sceptre (sceptrum) in her left hand. To her left, there is a six-pointed star. The image is surrounded by the inscription IMP . XXXXII . COS . - XVII . P . P, and CONOB on the bottom of the coin. The closer circumstances of the discovery of the coin are unknown. The solidus was supposedly ploughed up by a farmer in 1891, near the ruins of the castle, and then bought back in 1892 for 20,000 marks. The solidi (Latin solidus - fixed, real, concrete) were gold coins introduced into circulation by Constantine I in 308-312 to replace the devalued aurei. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, they continued to be minted in Byzantium and the Germanic states that emerged from the empire’s ruins. In the area of Barbaricum these coins appear in the 4th century. In Pomerania, on the other hand, the influx of solidi dates back to the 5th century and ends in the 6th century, which could have been caused by the appearance of the first Slavic population groups. The Baltic Sea basin is an area of high concentration of solidi, originating probably from the areas populated by the Ostrogoths.

Bartłomiej Rogalski