ARCADIUS 383AD Ancient Roman Coin VICTORY Nike Chi-Rho Christ Monogram i27896

Item: i27896

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Arcadius – Roman Emperor: 383-408 A.D. –

Bronze AE4 13mm (1.28 grams) Cyzicus mint 383-392 A.D.
Reference: RIC 26c
(IX, Cyzicus), LRBC 2570
DNARCADIVSPFAVG – Diademed, draped and cuirassed bust
right.
SALVSREIPVBLICAE Exe: Chi-Rho (monogram of Christ) /SMKΔ – Victory advancing
left,
holding trophy and dragging captive.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

The Chi Rho is one of the earliest

christograms

used by Christians. It is formed by superimposing the

first two letters in the Greek spelling of the word

Christ

(

Greek

 : “Χριστός” ), chi = ch and rho = r, in such a way to produce

the monogram

☧. The Chi-Rho symbol was also used by pagan Greek scribes to

mark, in the margin, a particularly valuable or relevant passage; the

combined

letters Chi and Rho standing for chrēston, meaning “good.”

Although not technically a cross, the Chi Rho invokes the crucifixion

of Jesus as well as symbolizing his status as the Christ. There is early

evidence of the Chi Rho symbol on Christian Rings of the third century.

In
Greek mythology
,

Nike was a
goddess
who personified
victory
, also known as the Winged Goddess of
Victory. The Roman equivalent was
Victoria
. Depending upon the time of various
myths, she was described as the daughter of
Pallas
(Titan) and

Styx (Water) and the sister of
Kratos
(Strength),
Bia
(Force), and
Zelus
(Zeal). Nike and her siblings were close
companions of Zeus
, the dominant deity of the
Greek pantheon
. According to classical (later)
myth, Styx brought them to Zeus when

the
god was assembling allies for the
Titan War
against the older deities. Nike
assumed the role of the divine
charioteer
, a role in which she often is
portrayed in Classical Greek art. Nike flew around battlefields rewarding the
victors with glory and fame.

Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings. Most other winged
deities in the Greek pantheon had shed their wings by Classical times. Nike is
the goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike was a very close acquaintance
of Athena
, and is thought to have stood in
Athena’s outstretched hand in the statue of Athena located in the Parthenon.
Nike is one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins.

Names stemming from Nike include amongst others:
Nicholas
, Nicola, Nick, Nikolai, Nils, Klaas,
Nicole, Ike, Niki, Nikita, Nika, Niketas, and Nico.

In

Roman mythology

, Victoria was the personification/Goddess of victory.

She is the Roman version of the

Greek goddess

Nike

, and was associated with

Bellona

. She was adapted from the

Sabine

agricultural goddess

Vacuna
and had

a

temple

on the

Palatine Hill

. Her name (in Latin) means victory. Unlike the Greek Nike, Victoria (Latin

for “victory”) was a major part of Roman society. Multiple temples were erected

in her honour. When her statue was removed in 382 AD by emperor

Gratianus

there was much anger in Rome. She was normally worshipped by

triumphant

generals returning from war. Also unlike the Greek Nike, who was known for success in athletic games such

as chariot races, Victoria was a symbol of victory over death and determined who

would be successful during war. Appearing on Roman coins, jewelry, architecture, and other arts, Victoria is

often seen with or in a

chariot
. An

example of this is her place upon the

Brandenburg Gate

in Berlin, Germany.

Flavius

Arcadius (377/378–1 May 408) was

Byzantine Emperor

in the Eastern half of the

Roman

Empire
from 395 until his death.

//

Arcadius was born in

Hispania
,

the elder son of

Theodosius I

and

Aelia Flaccilla

, and brother of

Honorius

, who would become a

Western Roman Emperor

. His father declared him an

Augustus

and co-ruler for the

Eastern half of the Empire

in January, 383. His younger brother was also

declared Augustus in 393, for the Western half.

As emperors, Honorius was under the control of the Romanized

Vandal

Flavius

Stilicho
while Arcadius was dominated by one of his ministers,

Rufinus

. Stilicho is alleged by some to have wanted control of both

emperors, and is supposed to have had Rufinus assassinated by Gothic mercenaries

in 395; though definite proof of Stilicho’s involvement in the assassination is

lacking, the intense competition and political jealousies engendered by the two

figures compose the main thread of the first part of Arcadius’ reign. Arcadius’

new advisor, the eunuch

Eutropius

, simply took Rufinus’ place as the power behind the Eastern

imperial throne.

Arcadius was also dominated by his wife

Aelia

Eudoxia
, who convinced her husband to dismiss Eutropius, who was holding the

consulate, at the height of his power, in 399. That same year, on the 13th July,

Arcadius issued an edict ordering that

all remaining non-Christian temples should be immediately demolished

.

Eudoxia’s influence was strongly opposed by

John Chrysostom

, the

Patriarch of Constantinople

, who felt that she had used her family’s wealth

to gain control over the emperor. Eudoxia used her influence to have Chrysostom

deposed in 404, but she died later that year. Eudoxia gave to Arcadius four

children: three daughters,

Pulcheria
,

Arcadia and Marina, and one son, Theodosius, the future Emperor

Theodosius II

.

Arcadius was dominated for the rest of his rule by

Anthemius

, the

Praetorian Prefect

, who made peace with Stilicho in the West. Arcadius

himself was more concerned with appearing to be a pious

Christian

than he was with political or military matters, and he died, only

nominally in control of his empire, in 408.

>

Character and works

In this reign of a weak emperor dominated by court politics,

a major theme was the ambivalence felt by prominent individuals and the court

parties that formed and regrouped round them towards

barbarians
,

which in Constantinople at this period meant

Goths
. In the

well-documented episode that revolved around

Gainas
, a

number of Gothic foederati stationed in the capital were massacred, the

survivors fleeing under the command of Gainas to

Thrace
, where

they were tracked down by imperial troops and slaughtered and Gainas dispatched.

The episode has been traditionally interpreted as a paroxysm of anti-barbarian

reaction that served to stabilise the East. The main source for the affair is a

mythology à clef by

Synesius
of

Cyrene, Aegyptus sive de providentia, (400)

an Egyptianising allegory that embodies a covert account of the events, the

exact interpretation of which continues to baffle scholars. Synesius’ De

regno, which claims to be addressed to Arcadius himself, contains a tirade

against Goths.

A new

forum

was built in the name of Arcadius, on the seventh hill of

Constantinople, the Xērolophos, in which a

column

was begun to commemorate his ‘victory’ over Gainas (although the

column was only completed after Arcadius’ death by

Theodosius II

).

The

Pentelic marble

portrait head of Arcadius (illustration) was

discovered in Istanbul close to the Forum Tauri, in June 1949, in excavating

foundations for new buildings of the University at

Beyazit

.

The neck was designed to be inserted in a torso, but no statue, base or

inscription was found. The

diadem
is a

fillet with rows of pearls along its edges and a rectangular stone set about

with pearls over the young emperor’s forehead.