Roman Empire

Constantius I, Co-Caesar AD 286-305

RIC 24; Depeyrot 16/3; Calicó 4834, Superb Extremely Fine

Antioch, AD 299-302. CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES, laureate head of Constantius I right. Reverse: HERCVLI CONS CAES, Hercules standing facing, head left, resting hand on grounded club and holding apples and lion’s skin; in left field, star. SMAZ*.

In AD 293, Diocletian and Maximian established a new system of imperial rule in order to manage the increasing pressures on the Empire. This was known as the Tetrarchy (“Rule of Four”) and consisted of two Augusti (Diocletian in the East and Maximian in the West) and two Caesares who served as their junior colleagues. Maximian named Flavius Valerius Constantius (Constantius I Chlorus) as his Caesar and tasked him with the reclamation of Britannia and Gaul from the British usurpers, Carausius and Allectus. Constantius I was successful in this endeavor and earned further glory as Caesar in great campaign against the Alemanni in AD 302. He did, however, raise some slight suspicion with Diocletian and his Caesar Galerius for his very half-hearted persecution of Christians two years later.