VRBS ROMA Commemorative — She-Wolf & Twins, Antioch

A sharp and historically interesting Constantinian city commemorative, struck at Antioch in the final years of Constantine the Great. Unlike ordinary imperial bronzes, this issue does not bear the emperor’s portrait. Instead, the obverse carries the legend VRBS ROMA, meaning “City of Rome,” with the helmeted and mantled bust of Roma facing left.

The reverse shows one of the most famous images in Roman myth: the she-wolf standing left, suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, with two stars above. This image refers directly to the legendary foundation of Rome and was used in the Constantinian period as part of a broader commemorative series honoring the old imperial capital of Rome alongside the new eastern capital, Constantinople.

This example was struck at Antioch on the Orontes, one of the major imperial mints of the eastern Roman Empire. The exergual mintmark is best read as SMANΘ, not ordinary “SMANO” — the final character is the Greek letter theta, indicating the 9th officina, or workshop, of the Antioch mint. The RIC/OCRE attribution is RIC VII Antioch 113, dated AD 335–337. Museum and catalog examples of this same type record the same date range, mint, reverse type, and mintmark formula.

A very appealing late Roman bronze with strong reverse detail, clear wolf-and-twins imagery, and a crisp Antioch mintmark. The type is especially collectible because it combines Constantinian history with Rome’s founding legend in one compact bronze issue.

Obverse: VRBS ROMA; helmeted and mantled bust of Roma left.

Reverse: She-wolf standing left, suckling Romulus and Remus; two stars above; SMANΘ in exergue.

Mint: Antioch, Syria.

Date: AD 335–337.

Denomination: AE nummus / reduced follis.

Metal: Bronze.

Weight: 2.45 g.

Diameter: 17 mm.

Reference: RIC VII Antioch 113; OCRE ric.7.anch.113.