Commemorative Series, 330. AE (Bronze, 14 mm, 1.45 g, 6 h), Constantinopolis. POP ROMANVS Laureate and draped bust of the Genius Populi Romanus to left, with cornucopiae over his left shoulder. Rev. The Milvian Bridge over the Tiber River; above, CONS / A. RIC VIII 21. A very attractive example with a lovely, sharply struck obverse. Very minor roughness on the reverse, otherwise, extremely fine.


A comparable reverse scene can be found on the Lyon lead medallion (Bastien 1989), which shows the Rhine bridge at Mainz with double towers at each end and with a diagonal lattice railing along the bridge. Kowalewski (1998) reinterpreted the bridge as a barrage, with the diagonal lattice railing seen as a movable barrier which could be lowered into the water using winches on top of the towers, thus preventing enemies from passing through. However, as is clear from the Lyon medallion and similar bridges on regular bronze coins, the latticework is a standard Roman railing. On larger coins, the structures on top of the towers are described as statues (cf. Trajan RIC II 570 and Septimius Severus RIC IV 786b).