FL IVL CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C, Laureate, draped bust left / PROVIDENTIAE CAESS, Camp-gate, dot in the left field, SMKB in exergue. 19mm, 2.67 grams. Mint of Cyzicus, RIC 53.

Constantius II (317–361 CE) was a Roman emperor and the second son of Constantine the Great. After Constantine’s death in 337 CE, Constantius II became one of three co-emperors, ruling the eastern provinces. Over time, through civil wars and political maneuvering, he emerged as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire by 353 CE. His reign was marked by efforts to defend the empire’s borders against Persian and Germanic threats, internal religious conflicts, particularly surrounding the Arian controversy in Christianity, and struggles to maintain unity in a fracturing empire. Constantius promoted Arian Christianity, which often put him at odds with Nicene (orthodox) Christians. In 361 CE, while preparing to confront a rebellion by his cousin Julian, Constantius fell ill and died, leaving Julian as his successor.