Solidus of Constantius II (Sole Emperor, 353–361)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This coin was struck between 353 and 361, during the reign of Constantius II, who ruled the Roman Empire from its new capital, Constantinople. (The empire would, in later centuries, be called Byzantium.) The view shown here (the obverse) portrays the emperor in military dress, holding a lance and shield. The shield itself depicts the emperor on horseback, trampling a barbarian. The reverse gives an inscription which identifies the coin as most probably being minted in Nicodemia. Constantius II reigned as full emperor from 353 to 361. He gained the throne after the overthrow of the previous emperor, Constans I, and is best remembered for his support of Arianism (a Christian sect later declared heretical) and his subsequent persecution of the Orthodox Church.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art