NGC Ancients: Monograms on Late Roman Bronzes

A monogram is a motif created by overlapping multiple letters to create a symbol. They can be simple or complex, allowing for a lot of variety. In modern days monograms commonly are used by brands and artists.

The earliest monograms on ancient coins appeared around the 4th century B.C. and became popular with the Greeks. City names, magistrate’s names and artist’s signatures often appear in monogram form on Greek coins.

Above is an example of a Greek silver coin of the Thessalian League with three monograms, one on the obverse, two on the reverse.

The popularity of monograms continued into the Roman period, being especially popular with late Roman emperors, who often used monograms on their coins. We’ll have a look at some examples issued at various Roman mints in the 5th Century A.D., starting with a bronze of Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II (A.D. 402 to 450), below.

The obverse shows the emperor’s portrait, and the reverse has his monogram within a wreath. We can make out THEOΔ within the monogram matrix.

With so many other design options available, why Roman emperors used monograms on their coins is unknown. The emperor’s name is placed on the obverse, but often was illegible due to an under-size flan.

Perhaps the monogram was used to assure the emperor’s name was always known regardless of the quality of the obverse strike. Or, perhaps, it was a popular trend at the time.

While these small, late Roman coins often are in rough condition and don’t have the best eye appeal, the complexity of the symbols attracts interest and leaves us asking why they made them.

Next in our survey is this 11mm bronze of the Eastern Roman Emperor Marcian (A.D. 450 to 457), struck at the mint in Nicomedia in modern-day Turkey.

The obverse shows the bust of Marcian, accompanied by a fairly full inscription. The reverse has the emperor’s monogram within a laurel wreath. If we look at the monogram, we see his name spelled out. The M and N are combined in the center with a sideways A. The C, perhaps, is retrograde on the left and the R is on the right.

The above bronze also features Marcian with the obverse showcasing a full inscription. The reverse shows his imperial monogram inside a wreath topped with a cross.

The crude bronze above has an interesting and somewhat inconclusive history. Though made during the reign of the Western Roman Emperor Libius Severus (A.D. 461 to 465), the monogram on the reverse is ascribed to the Germanic general Ricimer (A.D. 456 to 474), who was the true power behind the throne for decades. Researcher J.P.C. Kent notes that the monogram is puzzling and could be differently interpreted.

Made in Constantinople during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno (A.D. 474 to 491), this bronze features the full name of the emperor on the obverse. The emperor’s monogram on the reverse is quite interesting.

Also featuring the emperor Zeno is this 9 mm bronze. It’s also easy on this example to make out the emperor’s name in the monogram.

Despite its appearance, this 11 mm bronze is exceptionally nice for the issue. Made during the reign of the Western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos (A.D. 474 to 475/480), the obverse shows the bust of the emperor and part of his name. The reverse shows his monogram within a wreath.

Nepos was one of the last emperors of the West. His reign was a short and difficult one, and partly because of this his coins are quite scarce.

Made during the reign of the Eastern Roman Emperor Basiliscus (A.D. 475 to 476) at an unknown mint, this coin adopts the familiar formula with the emperor’s bust on the obverse and his monogram within a wreath on the reverse.

Basiliscus temporarily seized control in the East from the emperor Zeno. Eventually, Zeno took back control and had the whole family of Basiliscus killed by exposure to the elements—thus keeping his oath not to shed their blood.

The very rare 9 mm bronze above was minted during the joint reign of Basiliscus and his son Marcus, both of whom were Eastern Roman Emperors. The obverse shows an armored imperial bust and the reverse the joint monogram of the two rulers in a wreath.

Aelia Zenonis was the wife of Basiliscus. Her bust appears on the obverse of this 9 mm bronze. The reverse has her monogram. We can spell out her name from the letters that make up the monogram.

Minted under the Western Roman Emperor Anthemius (A.D. 467 to 472), the obverse of this small bronze shows the off-center bust of the emperor. The reverse shows his monogram.

Rounding out our review of late Roman monograms is this small bronze of Odovacar (A.D. 476 to 493), who ruled Italy after overthrowing the Western Roman Empire.

Although he wasn’t a Roman emperor, Odovacar was given power to rule Italy by the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno after he’d overthrown the last emperor in the West, Romulus Augustus (A.D. 475 to 476). As Odovacar consolidated power, Zeno saw him as a threat and convinced others to oppose him. Odovacar was killed in these fights, but by that point the Western Roman Empire no longer existed.

All photos courtesy of Classical Numismatic Group

Interested in reading more articles on Ancient coins? Click here.