AE centenionalis, Flavius Magnus Magnentius, AD 350 - 353

Rev. Large christogram between A and W, in ex. AMB, SALVS DD. NN. AVG. ET CAES. The christogram, a monogram of the first two Greek letters of Christ's name, X (Chi) and P (rho) was placed by Constantine I on the shields of his soldiers after his victory at the Milvian bridge in AD 312 and it appears on Roman coinage from this time on. During the fifth century, from c. 420 on, the christogram appeared frequently on both Western and Byzantine coinage, the latter in particular displaying both the tall cross (which replaced the staff that was previously carried by Victory) and the christogram as Christian imagery. Under Theodosius II and Justinian I the image of a cross on a globe (globus cruciger) as attribute of the emperor on whom divine power was bestowed, was depicted on coin portraits of emperors. Obv. Magnentius right, DN. MAGNENTIVS AVG.