Diocletian, 284-305, Follis

Diocletian, Follis, AE, reign AD 284–305; Antioch, c. AD 300–303; 9.47 g; 28 mm. Obverse: IMP C DIOCLETIANVS P F AVG; laureate head right. Reverse: GENIO POPVLI ROMANI; Genius standing left, wearing modius, nude, holding patera and cornucopiae; exergual mintmark of Antioch. Struck on the large module introduced by the Diocletianic reform, originally issued with a thin silver wash. Reference: RIC VI Antioch 54a.

Introduced as part of Diocletian’s monetary reform around AD 294, the large folles standardized bronze currency across the empire and often carried a silvered surface. The GENIO POPVLI ROMANI type expressed state ideology of the Tetrarchy, emphasizing the welfare of the Roman people and the provisioning role of the imperial administration. Antioch, a principal eastern mint, was a major producer of these reform issues during the consolidation of the Tetrarchic system.