Roman Empire – Constantine the Great (AD 306–337) – Bronze Follis with Sol Reverse
Description:
Obverse: Laureate or radiate bust of Constantine the Great facing right, rendered with imperial authority and fine detail.
Reverse: The god Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) standing left, radiate, raising his hand in benediction and holding a globe, symbol of universal dominion. A radiant nimbus surrounds his head, foreshadowing later Christian iconography.
Historical Context:
Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity, initially employed imagery that bridged pagan and Christian worlds. This coin’s reverse depicts Sol Invictus, a longstanding pagan deity associated with light, victory, and divine favor. By Constantine’s time, Sol’s imagery had begun to merge with Christian symbolism: the nimbus of the Sun God would evolve into the halo of Christ, and the imagery of the Risen Sun became a metaphor for the “Risen Son.”
Although officially a representation of Sol Invictus, coins like this one have been interpreted by scholars as transitional pieces—reflecting Constantine’s calculated use of traditional pagan motifs while subtly aligning them with his developing Christian vision. In this way, the coin can be seen as one of the earliest numismatic allusions to Christ, making it an object of both historical and theological importance.
Significance:
This bronze issue captures a pivotal cultural and religious transformation in the Roman world: the fusion of imperial power, pagan tradition, and Christian symbolism. Collectors and historians alike view it as one of the earliest tangible representations of Christianity’s rise within Roman society, sometimes called “the first coin of Jesus Christ” in its symbolic sense.
Roman Empire – Constantine the Great (AD 306–337) – Bronze Follis with Sol Reverse
Description:
Obverse: Laureate or radiate bust of Constantine the Great facing right, rendered with imperial authority and fine detail.
Reverse: The god Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun) standing left, radiate, raising his hand in benediction and holding a globe, symbol of universal dominion. A radiant nimbus surrounds his head, foreshadowing later Christian iconography.
Historical Context:
Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to embrace Christianity, initially employed imagery that bridged pagan and Christian worlds. This coin’s reverse depicts Sol Invictus, a longstanding pagan deity associated with light, victory, and divine favor. By Constantine’s time, Sol’s imagery had begun to merge with Christian symbolism: the nimbus of the Sun God would evolve into the halo of Christ, and the imagery of the Risen Sun became a metaphor for the “Risen Son.”
Although officially a representation of Sol Invictus, coins like this one have been interpreted by scholars as transitional pieces—reflecting Constantine’s calculated use of traditional pagan motifs while subtly aligning them with his developing Christian vision. In this way, the coin can be seen as one of the earliest numismatic allusions to Christ, making it an object of both historical and theological importance.
Significance:
This bronze issue captures a pivotal cultural and religious transformation in the Roman world: the fusion of imperial power, pagan tradition, and Christian symbolism. Collectors and historians alike view it as one of the earliest tangible representations of Christianity’s rise within Roman society, sometimes called “the first coin of Jesus Christ” in its symbolic sense.
