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Constantine II
‘Junior’ –
Roman Emperor
: 337-340 A.D.
Bronze AE3 19mm (2.81 grams) Siscia mint 328-329 A.D.
Reference: RIC 157 (Siscia)
CONSTANTINVSIVNNOBC – Laureate head right.
CAESARVMNOSTRORVM Exe: BSIS (sun) – Wreath, VOT/X within.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured,
provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of
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Flavius Claudius Constantinus, known in English as
Constantine II, (316-340) was
Roman Emperor
from 337
 to
340. The eldest son of
Constantine the Great
and
Fausta
, he was
born at Arles
,
and was raised as a Christian.
On
March 1
,
317,
Constantine was made
Caesar
, and at the age of seven in 323, took part in his father’s campaign
against the
Sarmatians
. At the age of ten he became commander of
Gaul, after the
death of his half-brother
Crispus
. An
inscription dating to 330 records the title of Alamannicus, so it is
probable that his generals won a victory over the
Alamanni
.
His military career continued when Constantine I elected his son field commander
during the 332 campaign against the
Goths
.
Following the death of his father in 337, Constantine II
became emperor jointly with his brothers
Constantius II
and
Constans
.
After the division of the empire, made by the three brothers in September of the
same year in Pannonia, he ruled over
Gaul,
Britannia
and
Hispania
.
He was involved in the struggle between the different
Christian streams. The Western portion of the empire leaned towards
Catholicism
and against
Arianism
,
and Constantine freed
Athanasius
and allowed him to return to
Alexandria
.
This action also put some burden on Constantius II, who was a supporter of
Arianism.
At first, he was the guardian of his younger brother Constans, whose portion
was
Italia
,
Africa
and
Illyricum
. As Constans came of age, Constantine would not relinquish the
guardianship and in 340 he marched against Constans in Italy, but was defeated
at Aquileia
and he was killed in an ambush in
Cervignano del Friuli
. Constans came to control his deceased brother’s
realm.
Division of the Roman Empire among the Caesars appointed by
Constantine I
: from left to right,
the territories of Constantine II,
Constans I
,
Dalmatius
and
Constantius II
. After the death of
Constantine I (May 337), this was the formal division of the Empire,
until Dalmatius was killed and his territory divided between
Constans and Constantius.
A laurel wreath is a circular
wreath
made of interlocking branches and leaves
of the
bay laurel
(Laurus nobilis), an aromatic
broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher’s broom (Ruscus
hypoglossum) or cherry laurel (Prunus
laurocerasus). In
Greek mythology
,
Apollo
is represented wearing a laurel wreath
on his head. In
ancient Greece
wreaths were awarded to victors,
both in athletic competitions, including the ancient
Olympics
made of wild olive-tree know n
as “kotinos“
(κότινος),[1]
(sc. at
Olympia
) and in poetic meets; in
Rome
they were symbols of martial victory,
crowning a successful commander during his
triumph
. Whereas ancient laurel wreaths are
most often depicted as a
horseshoe
shape, modern versions are usually
complete rings.
In common modern idiomatic
usage it refers to a victory. The
expression “resting on one’s laurels” refers to someone relying entirely on
long-past successes for continued fame or recognition, where to “look to one’s
laurels” means to be careful of losing rank to competition.
Academic use
Ovid
with laurel wreath, common in
poets.
In some countries the laurel wreath is used as symbol of the
master’s degree
. The wreath is given to young
masters in the
graduation ceremony
of the university. The word
“Laureate”
in ‘poet
laureate‘ refers to being signified by the laurel wreath. The
medieval Florentine poet and philosopher
Dante Alighieri
,[dubious
–
discuss
] a graduate of the
Sicilian School
, is often represented in
paintings and sculpture wearing a laurel wreath.
Laureato[3]
is the term used in Italy
to refer to any graduated student. In
some italian regions (Veneto,
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
and
Trentino
), right after the graduation ceremony
(in Italian: laurea), the student receives a laurel wreath and is allowed
to wear it for the rest of the day. This tradition was born in the
University of Padua
and since the end of the
19th century is common to all
northeastern Italian
universities.
At
Connecticut College
in the United States,
members of the junior class carry a laurel
chain
, which the seniors pass through during
commencement. It represents nature and the continuation of life from year to
year. Immediately following commencement, the junior girls write out with the
laurels their class year, symbolizing they have officially become seniors and
the cycle will repeat itself the following spring.
At
Mount Holyoke College
in
South Hadley, Massachusetts
, United States,
laurel has been a fixture of
commencement
traditions since 1900, when
graduating students carried or wore laurel wreaths. In 1902, the chain of
mountain laurel
was introduced; since then,
tradition has been for seniors to march across campus, carrying and linked by
the chain. The mountain laurel represents the
bay laurel
used by the
Romans
in wreaths and crowns of honor.[4]
At Reed College
in
Portland, Oregon
, United States, members of the
senior class receive laurel wreaths upon submitting their senior
thesis
in May. The tradition stems from the use
of laurel wreaths in athletic competitions; the seniors have “crossed the finish
line,” so to speak.
At
St. Mark’s School
in
Southborough, Massachusetts
, students who
successfully complete three years of one classical language and two of the other
earn the distinction of the Classics Diploma and the honor of wearing a laurel
wreath on Prize Day.
In Sweden
, those receiving a Doctorate or an
Honorary Doctorate
at the Faculty of Philosophy
(meaning Philosophy, Languages, Arts, History and Social Sciences), receive a
laurel wreath during the ceremony of conferral of the degree.
Architectural and decorative arts motif
“Victory, A Knight Being Crowned With A Laurel Wreath” by
Frank Dicksee
.
The laurel wreath is a common motif in
architecture
,
furniture
, and
textiles
. The laurel wreath is seen carved in
the stone and decorative plaster works of
Robert Adam
, and in
Federal
,
Regency
,
Directoire
, and
Beaux-Arts
periods of architecture. In
decorative arts, especially during the
Empire period
, the laurel wreath is seen woven
in textiles, inlaid in marquetry, and applied to furniture in the form of gilded
brass mounts.
Alfa Romeo
added a laurel wreath to their
logo after they won the inaugural Automobile World Championship in
1925 with the
P2
racing car.
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