Horváth Attila – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 4. Archeologia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1976)

Sey K.: Egy ritka Valens ezüst medalion

KATALIN BÍRÓ-SEY A RARE SILVER MEDAILON OF VALENS A Valens silver medailon was found in course of gardening works at Kiskőrös a few years ago. The medailon was bought by the Hungarian National Museum. The description of the medailon : Obverse : DN VALENS-S P F AVG, the emperor's cloaked, armored bust looks right, wears a pearl diadem. Reverse: TRIVMFATOR-GENT-BARB, the emperor in military dress is represented en face, his head turned left. He holds a labarum in his left and a globe in his right hand. To the left on the medailon a prisoner kneels on his left knee, his hands behind his back and turns his head to the right towards the emperor. In the section below SISCPS mark. The silver multiplum weighs three miliarense, 12.78 g, 35—36 mm. Site: Kiskőrös, Hungarian National Museum, Inventory No. 3/1971, (Fig. 1). Only indirect parallels were found to this medailon in our search for analogies, but even these helped dating the multiplum. Let us examine the reverse type in detail. An earlier version can already be found on the silver medailons of Constans and Constantius II. The difference is that on these the standing emperor holds a shield and military insignia and there is no prisoner on the medalion. Even the inscription is of a different type: TRIVMFATOR GENT BARBARARUM. This reverse type was struck for the above emperors after the death of Constantine I. For Constans they were issued from the mints of Thessaloniki and Siscia with TES and • SIS • marks respectively. The mints of Treveri and Thessaloniki issued the same reverse type medailons for Constantius II with TR and TES marks respectively. The next emperor who has medailons with the same reverse as the Valens medailon, is Valentinian. In all respects this is the closest analogy to our multiplum (Fig. 2). The inscription on the obverse, DN VALENTINIANVS PF AVG, the reverse and obverse representations are identical with our Valens medailon. The mint mark in the section is SISCP. Nevertheless its weight is less, only 12 g. Its significance is that its finding site is known. It was found in Serbia (Yugoslavia) at Üsküb around the end of the last century. It found its way to the Weifert Collection in Belgrade. Its last mention is in the 9th volume of RIC; it was still in that collection. According to the mint mark it fell into the second period of Valentinian I's minting at the Siscian mint, between 367 and 375 A.D. As a matter of fact this Valentinian I medailon is the first member of that silver multiplum series to which the Valens medailon belongs as well. The latest issues of this minting are the medailons of Arcadius and Honorius of the same type from the mint of Rome. Concurrently with the Siscian minted Valentinian I medailon the mint at Treveri produced this type for Valens with TRPS • mark (Fig. 3). This weighs somewhat more than the Siscian impression, 13,47 g. In Treveri the solidi are made with such reverse for Valentinian I. According to the mint mark the Valens multiplum must have been minted between 367 and 375 A.D. The next medailon in the series chronologically is the medailon of Valens. According to the SISCPS mint mark this must have been struck between 375 and 378 A.D. The Siscisan mint struck miliarensis for Valens and Gratian during this same period with 39