Constantius Gallus, Caesar 351-354 AD Flavius Claudius Constantius was initially named Gallus. He was a descendant of Constantius I Chlorus with his second wife, Theodora. Gallus was the half-brother of the future Emperor Julian II, the son of Constantius and Galla. He grew up at a court in Constantinople under Constantine The Great, a descendant of […]

Nepotian 350 AD Ruled Rome for 28 days Nephew of Constantine the Great Flavius Julius Nepotianus Constantinus was a nephew of Constantine the Great. Nepotian seized power in Rome following the death of Constans in 350 AD. Nepotian proclaimed himself emperor and entered Rome with a band of gladiators on June 3rd, 350AD. After a brief […]

Vetranio 350AD Temporary Joint Emperor of Illyricum Vetranio was an elderly general who held the rank of magister militum under Constans. During the period of uncertainty following the downfall of the Emperor and Magnentius’ rise to power, Constantius‘ sister, Constantia, convinced Vetranio to become temporary joint Emperor in an effort to keep Magnentius in check while Constantius was otherwise engaged on the […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter III By Martin A. Armstrong Claudius II died of the plague in 270 AD and was eventually succeeded by one of his leading generals – Aurelian. It was during the reign of Aurelian when the relentless attacks by the barbarians came to a temporary halt. Aurelian also […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter IV By Martin A. Armstrong Following the abdication of Diocletian in 304 AD, the political stablility began to gradually disintegrate taking with it the silver coinage. The argentius began to decline in size, weight and silver content. However, we also see the introduction of a half-argentius between 306-307 AD again illustrating […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter V By Martin A. Armstrong Following the death of Constantius II in 360 AD, the empire fell into the hands of the last heir of Constantine The Great – Julian II (360-363 AD) . Julian also instituted economic and governmental reforms as well as religious reforms due […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter VI By Martin A. Armstrong Theodosius I died in 395 AD and was succeeded by his son and co-emperor Arcadius (383-408 AD) in the East and his youngest son, Honorius (383-423 AD) succeeded in the West. Under the reigns of Arcadius and Honorius, we only find the heavy miliarense, miliarense, siliqua […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter VII By Martin A. Armstrong Under Construction Monetary History of the World © Martin A. Armstrong

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter II By Martin A. Armstrong Following the death of Caracalla in 217 AD, the double aureus did not immediately survive. The double aureus was finally reintroduced around 249 AD by Trajan Decius (249 – 251 AD). The silver antoninianus did manage to hang on briefly, but it was not issued in substantial quantities. It completely disappeared from […]

The Monetary History of the Imperial Rome Chapter I By Martin A. Armstrong Following the death of Julius Caesar and the conclusion of the final civil war of the period, the emergence of a major monetary reform under Augustus changed forever the monetary system of Rome. It is with Augustus that we find a complete […]