i7949

Arcadius - Roman Emperor: 383-408 A.D. -
Bronze AE4 17mm Thessalonica mint: 384-387 A.D.
DNARCADIVSPFAVG - Pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
GLORIAROMANORVM Exe: SISC - Arcadius advancing right, dragging captive and holding labarum (tipped with Christogram).

* Numismatic Note: First time of notice of this type from Thessalonica, a lot more rare than the more common Siscia types.

You are bidding on the exact coin pictured. Provided with a certificate of authenticity, and lifetime guarantee of authenticity. Makes a great gift.

Arcadius was given the title of Augustus when only six years of age. After his father Theodosius died in 395 he and his brother Honorius remained the only emperors, Arcadius being the emperor in the eastern half. It seems he spent his whole life ineffectually trying to rid himself of one regent after another who wielded the true power. Even his wife Eudoxia has more on record for being politically active and influential than he and, as a result, little of what he personally desired came through amid all the background noise. He died in his early 30's of unknown causes.

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."^[1]

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.

The labarum (Greek: λάβαρον) was a vexillum (military standard) that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ).^[1] It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine I. Since the vexillum consisted of a flag suspended from the crossbar of a cross, it was ideally suited to symbolize crucifixion. The Chi-Rho symbol was also used by Greek scribes to mark, in the margin, a particularly valuable or relevant passage; the combined letters Chi and Rho standing for chrēston, meaning "good."^[2]