In the year 330, Constantine the Great established a city on the Bosporus, what had been a sleepy town called Byzantium. He christened the new city New Rome, but it came to be known as the City of Constantine—Constantinople. Famed for its near-impenetrable defenses, its gorgeous architecture, and its general splendor, the city on the Bosporus became the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman empires. As capitals of the country and homes to the imperial family, cities were vital to the success of empire, and thus took on a mystical quality. In particular Constantinople was personified in the celestial pantheon. Just as Athena was the protector of Athens, so did the protector of “New Rome” take on female form. Constantine I, The Great, issued a very different type of commemorative coin to dedicate his namesake city on the Bosporus. The obverse is a personification of the city itself, with the helmeted city goddess bearing a resemblance to the Roman war goddess Minerva, and the legends CONSTAN/TINOPOLIS. The reverse shows a winged goddess Victory with foot on prow of a vessel―symbolizing both the city's strategic maritime location and the earlier nearby naval victory of Constantine's son Crispus over rival Licinius. These coins were minted during the period after 330, when Constantinople—the Nova Roma or New Rome—was dedicated. W: 1.4-2.5g |D:15-19 mm. Box packaging available. Shown in AU The coin images used are not to scale and are for illustration purpose only. Available as a single NGC certified slab or beautifully displayed in a deluxe case. The box case is accompanied with a story card, certificate of authenticity, and a black gift box. * Available in various grades. * Slab box measures: 4 21/64" x 5 9/32 " x 1 3/8" .