Arcadius Coins

Arcadius, son of Thedosius I, reigned as emperor of the Eastern empire from 383 to 408 AD while his brother Honorius took charge of the West. Buffeted by conflicts among kingmaker advisors Rufinus and Eutropia, his wife Eudoxia and a new spiritual force, John Chrystoston, Patriarch of the Church in Constantinople, Arcadius's rule was full of incidents and empty of accomplishment. One historian notes his spiritual concerns and the beauty of his handwriting. In a declining empire, subject to frequent barbarian incursions, this passive ruler embodied the Roman concept of tabula rasa--a blank slate on which others wrote.

Coinage from Arcadius' time shows a conventional imperial portrait, often backed by the figure of Constantinopolis. Most interesting are helmeted portraits of the emperor, full-face or three-quarters view. Even thus arrayed, Arcadius was still a creation of others, dressed for the dreams of those truly in charge.