...[T]he sick promenade while the doctors lie abed, the baths freeze while the houses burn, the living are thirsty while the buried swim, thieves are vigilant while theauthorities sleep, the clergy lend money while the Syrian merchants sing psalms... (Deliyannis, 50)

-Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 430-489 describing Ravenna as the imperial capital)

IN 402 CE, THE dim-witted 17-year-old emperor Honorius moved the capital of the Roman Empire in the West from the fortress city of Mediolanum (Milan) to the town of Ravenna onthe Adriatic south of Venice. Surrounded by marshes, the city was hard to besiege but lacked a reliable supply of fresh water, prompting the quip by Bishop Sidonius: vivi sitiuntsepulti natant ("the living thirst while the buried swim"). Changes in the shoreline leave Ravenna inland today, but in the fifth century it was a major naval base. For centuriesthe town was an important mint, and the fascinating coinage of Ravenna documents a turbulent era of late Antiquity.

The coins fall into three periods: Late Western Roman (402 - 476), Ostrogothic (476 - 540) and Byzantine (540 - 751).

Western Roman
Honorius and Arcadius

AV Solidus (20mm, 4.45 g, 12h). Ravenna mint. Struck 402-406 CE. Pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Honorius standing right, spurning captive, holdinglabarum and Victory on globe; R-V//COMOB. RIC X 1287d

Early coins struck at Ravenna (c. 402 - 406) bear the stylized, portrait of the young emperor wearing the diadem; a pearl-studded headband that was an ancient emblem ofroyalty. The Latin inscription translates as "Our Lord Honorius, Faithful and Fortunate Emperor". On the reverse, a standing figure of this unmilitary emperor in full militaryattire holds a statuette of Victory, and a labarum (a kind of flagstaff) while trampling a barbarian captive. Ravenna's distinctive mint mark, R V, appears in the field. This typeis quite common.

To read the complete article, see:
CoinWeek Ancient Coin Series - Ravenna: From ImperialCapital to Byzantine Outpost (https://coinweek.com/ancient-coins/coinweek-ancient-coin-series-ravenna-from-imperial-capital-to-byzantine-outpost/)