Very rare AE4 w/lion standing right, Leo I (457-74 CE), Alexandria, Roman Empire

Diademed and draped bust right / Lion walking right, head right. 8mm, 0.59 grams. Alexandria mint. RIC X 671 (R3).

There is only a single type with the lion right - it was minted only in Alexandria and it is very rare.

Leo I (r. 457–474 CE), also known as “Leo the Thracian,” was an Eastern Roman emperor who ruled during a period of transition after the death of Marcian. He is notable for being the first emperor crowned by the Patriarch of Constantinople, marking an important step in the increasing role of the Church in imperial legitimacy. Leo strengthened the Eastern Roman military system and attempted, though unsuccessfully, to intervene in the collapsing Western Empire by installing his own candidate as emperor. His reign helped consolidate the Eastern Empire’s political structure while the West continued to disintegrate.

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