The inauguration of Constantinople as the new eastern capital of the Roman Empire was formally celebrated on May 11, 330 AD, marking the transformation of the ancient city of Byzantium into a grand imperial center. Emperor Constantine’s decision to relocate the capital from Rome to Constantinople was a strategic and visionary move that would shape history for over a millennium until the city's fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The dedication festivities, spanning forty days, culminated in a ceremonial event held at the newly expanded Hippodrome, highlighting the city's importance and future role as the heart of a new civilization.

The founding of Constantinople followed Constantine’s decisive victory over Licinius in 324 AD. Recognizing the limitations of Rome’s location, both geographically and culturally, Constantine initiated the construction of a new capital better suited to address the military and administrative challenges of the empire. Situated on the Bosporus, Constantinople was ideally positioned to oversee the Danube frontier and the eastern territories, including the Sasanian border. Its location also symbolized a fresh start, distancing the new center from Rome's entrenched traditions, while embracing Christianity and other contemporary innovations. Constantine endowed the city with monumental public structures and rechristened it "Constantinopolis," ensuring its lasting legacy.

To commemorate the city's inauguration, Constantine issued silver medallions distributed to the elite, with designs celebrating both Constantinople and Rome. These medallions featured personifications of Constantinopolis and Roma, embodying the continuity and transference of Rome's grandeur to the new capital. While the seated figure of Constantinopolis was a common depiction, the rare medallions portraying Roma underscored the idea that old Rome’s legacy was being carried forward rather than abandoned. The imagery of Roma, with her Amazonian features and symbols of power, reinforced the message of unity between the old and new capitals during this transformative period in Roman history.

Constantine’s vision for Constantinople proved enduring, as the city became the center of one of history's most remarkable civilizations: Byzantium. The symbolic pairing of Roma and Constantinopolis on coins emphasized the seamless connection between the old and new capitals. This unity was further reflected in the title adopted by Byzantine emperors, basileus Romaion ("King of the Romans"), underscoring the continuity of Roman identity even in the Eastern Empire. The success of Constantine’s vision is evidenced by the city’s longevity and its pivotal role in shaping the medieval world.

Constantine I the Great, Silver Medallion of 5 Siliquae; Inaugural Issue, Constantinople. 29mm, 6h, 16.82g; C.136 (300f.) - RIC.53 var. - RSC.135; Obv: DN CONSTANTINVS/ MAX TRIVMF AVG/ -|-// MCONS. Reverse description: Tyche of Constantinople seated facing on a throne with a back, towered, draped, holding a cornucopia in her left hand, her right foot resting on a ship's prow; legend placed vertically on each side of the subject. Reverse translation: "Dominus Noster Constantinus Maximus Triumfator Augustus/ Moneta Constantinopolis", (Our Lord Constantine the Great August Triumphator/ Mint of Constantinople).

Type 3 ribbons with balled and pearled ends. In total, eighteen coins are known for the two types (Rome and Constantinople), of which only three are for the Rome type. Of the fifteen copies with the Constantinople type, we find one copy of our type only, two copies for the third officina, two for the fourth, two for the fifth, one for the sixth, two for the seventh, one for the ninth, two for the tenth and finally one copy for the eleventh officina.