CONSTANTIUS II
AD 337-361
AE2 . 6.0g, 23.3mm
MINTED: Nicomedia mint, AD 348-351
REF: RIC VIII Nicomedia 84
OBVERSE: DN CONSTANTIVS PF AVG, diademed, draped and cuirassed bust right.
REVERSE: FEL TEMP RE-PARATIO, helmeted soldier spearing beardless and helmeted horseman wearing Phrygian helmet with head turned back and arm reaching out; Γ in left field, SMNS in exergue.

Grade/Notes:
Very Fine. Well-centered on a slightly oval flan. Underlying silvering with scattered malachite green deposits over surface.
 
Historical Notes:
Constantius II was the longest reigning of the three sons of Constantine the Great who had divided the Roman empire amongst themselves after his death in 337.  By 340, only Constantius and Constans remained.  In 350, the usurper Magnentius revolted against Constans and had been him assassinated.  Constantius went to war with Magnentius, defeated him in 353, and was left the sole ruler of the Roman empire.  With his cousins Gallus and Julian serving as Caesars, Constantius spent much of the next few years contending with raiding Alamanni, more usurpers, and an invasion by the Sassanian Empire.  His final challenge came when the legions under Julian revolted and declared him emperor, forcing Constantius to prepare for war against his own heir apparent.  Before their forces were able to meet, Constantius fell seriously ill and died of fever in Cilicia, after acknowledging Julian his successor.