The Roman Imperial Coinage Vol. VIII: The Family of Constantine I (v. 8)

The Roman Imperial Coinage Vol. VIII: The Family of Constantine I (v. 8) It is now more than twenty years since Late Roman Bronze Coinage revolutionised the numismatic study of the late empire, and RIC VIII is one of the fruits of the impetus thus achieved. It is the first comprehensive account of the issues of the House of Constantine the Great, a critical time for the Roman state. Its decline becomes evident for the first time, and it saw the virtual end of the base billion coinage inherited from the third century. One may contrast the growing stylisation of type and legend with the elaboration of mint-marks and the experimentation in weight and size, as the hard-pressed treasury sought - in vain - to establish a stable and profitable currency. All this has led to the adoption of a layout substantially different from those of previous volumes, most noticeably in the abandonment of heavy vertical lines. The Catalogue has in consequence an altogether lighter and more spacious appearance than its predecessors, and users will welcome an arrangement which allows, for example, the ready addition to the lists of unrecorded officina numbers. This is a book that will be indispensable no less to historians than to numismatists: it worthily completes the story of the imperial coinage down to the end of the fourth century.