Gold solidus of Constantine I, reverse RESTITVTORI LIBERTATIS
A Roman gold solidus: the obverse is the laureate portrait of Constantine, the reverse a standing emperor in military dress facing a seated helmeted figure with a globe between them, under the legend RESTITVTORI LIBERTATIS, Restorer of Liberty. The tell is the virtue word: 'liberty' is claimed as an accomplished fact, in place of any specific claim about what was restored or from whom.
- Date
- 0313
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- Roman imperial mint, under Emperor Constantine I
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- Roman Empire
- Medium
- Banknotes and coins
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Constantine Regime
- Leader
- Constantine I
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Themes
- War and the military, Elections and party politics
- Event
- Constantine Maxentius Civil War
- Techniques
- Glittering generalities
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Open Access), retrieved September 29, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (The Met Open Access, CC0; isPublicDomain true in the Met API; object about 1,700 years old)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Cindy and David Sofer Collection, 2025 (2025.830.1), Open Access
Text on the object
Obverse: CONSTAN[TI]NVS P F AVG Reverse: RESTITVTORI LIBERTATIS Exergue: PTR
Obverse: Constantinus, Pius, Felix, Augustus (Constantine, dutiful, fortunate, emperor). Reverse: To the Restorer of Liberty. Exergue: mint mark PTR.
Letters in square brackets are partly off the flan or hidden by the rim. A small mark follows PTR in the exergue and is not text. The translation expands standard abbreviations.
