A Roman coin from Cowick Fields (obverse)

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A Roman coin from Cowick Fields (obverse)

This coin of copper alloy was found at Cowick Fields, near the river Exe, in 1927; the precise findspot was not recorded. It was struck between the years AD 350 and 353 and shows on the obverse, shown in the photo here, a portrait of the emperor wearing a diadem, with his imperial titles DN MAGNENTIVS PF AVG.

The reverse reads FELICITAS REPVBLICA (the happiness of the Republic) and shows the standing emperor holding a personification of Victory (with wreath); his standard is surmounted by the Christian Chi-Rho. By this time Christianity was the official religion of the Roman empire.

Acknowledgments: © Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Exeter City Council

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