of the Emperor sacrificing, sometimes alone, at other times accompanied by priests and assistants, musicians and others: afterwards they were accustomed merely to write the legend in a crown, or above a shield borne by a figure of Victory, or in the later days by two female figures representing Rome and Constantinople. The legends most generally used are: VOTA PVBLICA, VOTA SVSCEPTA, VOTA SOLVTA. VOTA X [vota decennalis]. VOT.X ET.XX (susceptis)]. [votis decennalis (solutis) et vicennalibus VOT XV MVLT XXX [votis quindecennalibus (solutis) multis tricesimalibus (susceptis)]. VOT XX sic XXX [votis vicennalibus (feliciter solutis) sic tricesimalia (solventur)]. VOTIS MVLTÍS. [votis multis (susceptis solutisque)]. 294. If the memorials of the votes n.ay present a certain basis. for determining the dates of the coins recording them during the earlier period of the Empire, such a basis is altogether wanting in the later period, during which, in order to give occasion for a greater number of festivals, the stated periods were abbreviated, and the vows celebrated were greatly in excess of the number of years in the reign. CHAPTER XXXV THE IMPERIAL MINTS 295. In the latter days of the Republic, coins (nummi castrenses) were issued in all the three metals, gold, silver and bronze, struck in mints far from Rome, by the commanders of the army. As soon Roman Coins. 12 as the insufficiency of the Mint in the city of Rome to maintain the circulation of the coinage necessary in the vast territories of the Empire was felt, supplementary mints were established in various provinces. As early as the first years of the Empire a mint was established at Antioch, and we also have denarii of Vespasian and Domitian struck at Ephesus. From the time or Augustus to the reign of Titus, money was coined in Spain in great abundance, and the same happened in the provinces of Gaul. Besides these regular issues of money we have those irregular issues made by order of the Tyrants, usurpers, or pretenders in various provinces, which were not authorized by the state. 296. Gallienus forbade the coining of the local coinage in the Greek cities and established instead imperial mints which were increased in number by Diocletian and attained their greatest development under Constantine. Atter that reign they were gradually diminished in number as the Empire itself became reduced in extent and importance, until at last the Paleologoi were reduced to using for their limited commerce the money issued from the only mint which remained to them. Claudius Gothicus had seven mints in active service, Aurelian eight, Diocletian eleven, Maxentius eight, Constantine the Great seventeen, Valentinian III two, Anastasius I seven, Justinianus I eleven, Heraclius fourteen, Leo III three. 297. MINT MARKS. The mint officers began in the reign of Gallienus to place on the coins a mark indicating the mint from which they were issued, and the custom came into general use in the time of Diocletian. These mint marks usually occupy the exergue of the reverse side of the coins. The principal abbreviations of the names of the mints found upon the coins are the following. C, CL AR, ARL Arelatum (Arles, Gaul). Camulodunum (Colchester, Britannia). CAR Carthago (Carthagina). CAT Catana (Catania). CON, CONS, CONST, KONST Constantinopolis. CYZ, CYZICA, CVZ - Cyzicus (Propontis). H, HER, HRACLA, HT, HTR-Heraclea (Thracia). K, KA, KAR, KART - Carthago (Carthagina). L, LL, LN, LON - Londinum (London), N, NAR N, NIC, NIK, NICO - Nicomedia (Bithynia). SD, SER, SERD- Serdica (Dacia). TE, TS, TES Thessalonica (Macedonia). TR, TRE — Augusta Trevirorum (Treves, Germany). 298. These abbreviations of the names of the Mints are often followed by other initial letters, either Greek or Latin or some numeral cypher, which indicated the different offices or workshops of the Mints. Thus the marks CONA, CONB, CONT, CONA, or MDP, MDS, MDT, should be read as CONSTANTINOPOLIS officina PRIMA, SECVNDA, TERTIA, QVARTA, and MEDIOLANI officina PRIMA, SECVNDA, TERTIA. The mint marks are frequently preceded by the letters SM meaning SACRA MONETA. Thus the marks SMAQ, SMALT, signify SACRA MONETA AQVILEIAE officina QVARTA, and SACRA MONETA ALEXANDRIAE officina TERTIA. 299. About the end of the third century the initial letters of the western mints were placed in the field of the coins whilst the ancient mint-mark of Constantinople CONOB, converted into COMOB, (confer § 300 and 301), remained always in the exergue as a mere mark of guarantee that the coin was of gold. We therefore find on the field of the gold coins and sometimes also in those of silver the following initials. 300. The mark CONOB seen on the exergues of many gold coins has given rise to much discussion among numismatists, who have given several different interpretations of its meaning. Pinder and Friedländer, dividing the mark into two parts CON and OB saw in the first syllable the abbreviation of Constantinople and took the second as a numerical symbol corresponding to 72 (see chapter XXVIII, § 255) and thus read Constantinopolitana (libræ) septuagesima secunda (pars) meaning that it thus indicated the solidus, which was in fact according to the laws of Valentinian I the seventy-second part of a pound. Another hypothesis is that we should rather divide the mark into two parts CON and OB and read CON(STANTINOPOLIS) OB(RVSION) meaning fine gold of Constantinopolis and this interpretation is the one now preferred and more generally accepted because it is supported by the fact that the letters CONOB used as the mark of gold in Constantinople were sometimes though not frequently used with the mint-mark of some other mints as for example ANOB (for Antioch). TESOB (for Thessalonica) TROB (for Treves). There was also a corresponding mark for the silver in the sign PS (or rarely PV) a mark which should be read as argentum posulatum or postulatum meaning argento puro. This mark was used on the silver coinage of many mints; for instance we have AQPS, LVGPS, MDPS, SISPS, TRPS, ARPS, RVPS, RMPS, on the silver coins of Aquileia, Lyons, Milan, Siscia, Treves, Arles, Ravenna, and Rome; besides LDPV, MDPV for the silver of London and Milan under Constantine III. Another reason which may be urged in favour of this second hypothesis it the fact that the Arabs who came into power after the fall of the Byzantine Empire translated the mark CONOB by words which in their language signified fine or pure gold. 301. After a certain time the sign CONOB was changed into COMOB, the most probable explanation of which keeps the same meaning of OB and the changed letters signify Comite Obryzii which means; with the guarantee of the magistrale appointed to oversee the coinage of gold; these magistrates were in fact called Comes in various Imperial rescripts of Valentinian I and Valens. CHAPTER XXXVI COINS OF THE COLONIES, CITIES AND PROVINCES 302. The Coins of the Colonies, Cities, and Provinces follow and are complementary to the coinage properly called Roman, that is, the money struck in Rome or in the official mints of the Empire under the direct authority of the Emperor or the Senate, and having currency throughout the whole Empire. This complementary coinage was to a certain extent autonomous and, as the names under which it is classed indicate, was issued by the Colonies, the Cities, or Provinces. 303. COLONIAL COINS. The Latin Colonies as their very name indicates were founded by Rome and inasmuch as they were autonomous states they enjoyed the right of coining money. These Colonies were thirty-nine in number and were founded from the 259th year of Rome up to the 573rd year, in Etruria, Campania, Samnium, in Magna Græcia, in Gaul, &c. The issues of aes grave in the Latin Colonies have many analogies with those of the aes grave of Rome, nevertheless we meet with differences sometimes not only in the types but also in the weights. Some of the series bear a name inscribed, or at least some initial letters, and from these are easily classified; others, however, bear only symbols, and their attribution is in consequence often uncertain. Some Colonies issued also silver coins before silver had been adopted in Rome, a fact which shows how thoroughly were these colonies autonomous in origin, and independent of the mother city. However, Rome, ever jealous of the right to coin money, gradually restricted this liberty of action once conceded to the Colonies. In the year of Rome 486 (268 B.C.) Rome prohibited their striking silver coins, and a little later placed restrictions also on |