Constantine II, 337-340, AE3

Constantine II as Caesar (AD 317–337), AE3, bronze; struck at Antioch, c. AD 330–335; 1.18 g; 16 mm. Obv. CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C; laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev. GLORIA EXERCITVS; two soldiers standing facing, each holding spear and shield; two military standards between; Antioch mint. Struck on a compact late Roman flan consistent with the reduced-module issues of this series. RIC VII Antioch 109.

Issued during the GLORIA EXERCITVS program inaugurated around the dedication of Constantinople in AD 330, this type promoted army cohesion and dynastic stability under Constantine I and his Caesars. At Antioch, large outputs of these small bronzes supplied the eastern provinces and garrisons, with the NOB C titulature identifying Constantine II’s status as Caesar prior to AD 337.