“Gloria Orbis Terrarum”: Theodosius II as the sole Augustus of the Roman Empire (according to numismatics)

Introduction. In historiography, there is a concept that the last ruler of the unified Roman Empire was Theodosius I the Great, and after his death, in the early 395 AD, the Roman State never again became united under one ruler. However, during the 5th century AD, several Eastern Roman emperors gained power over both halves of the Roman Empire, including Theodosius II. This fact is reflected in numismatic and written sources, which created in Western and Eastern part of Roman State. The author also emphasizes the importance of monetary propaganda and its mass character in the Roman Empire. Materials and Methods. The work used general scientific research methods such as analysis, synthesis and deduction. The inductive and historicalgenetic methods were applied. The historical-typological method allowed identifying consular images on the coins of Theodosius II and Valentinian III. Within the framework of the historicalcomparative  method,  a  comparison  of  images  and  symbols in coin minting was made. It is also worth noting that within the framework of the article, a comparison of numismatic data with written historical sources was made.

Analysis. The article notes that a number of coins minted in the name of Theodosius II and Valentinian III, in both the western and eastern parts of the Roman Empire, are a clear reflection of the brief | “reunification” of the two halves of the Empire under Theodosius II's leadership, who became sole augustus of the entire Roman world for a few months. The author also points out that Theodosius was portrayed as a sole leader in the chronicles of the Western Roman historian Hydatius in the 5th century AD.

Results. The unification of the entire Roman Empire under Theodosius is confirmed by several sources, allowing us to revise some existing concepts about the political history of the Roman state in the 5th AD.

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