The gold medallion of Roman emperor Valentinian I

The gold medallion of Emperor Valentinian I (364-375) belongs to the ceremonial issues that were minted for imperial anniversaries. They represented a personal gift from the emperor to high-ranking dignitaries and commanders, indicating the emperor' s recognition for outstandig merit. It originates from the mint in Constantinople and was discovered in the village of Zatonje, near Veliko Gradište, Pincum in ancient times, on the bank of the Danube, in 1965. The medallion, of exceptional craftsmanship, large denomination and weight, conveys the message of Roman invincibility. On the obverse is a bust of emperor with diadem on his head, on the reverse is the emperor in full combat gear, carrying a labarum and dragging a prisoner by the hair, with a female figure kneeling before him. According to one view, its mintage was connected with the campaign and victory against the Alemanni in 366 but, by all accounts, it was minted two years earlier, during the visit of the emperor and his court to Constantinople in 364 AD.