Securitas
View All Tags
Securitas was frequently depicted on Roman coinage, where her image often appeared alongside inscriptions that emphasized the safety and peace brought about by the emperor or the Roman state. On coins, Securitas was sometimes shown standing with one foot on a globe, holding a scepter or a branch, symbols of her dominion and peaceful rule. Her presence on coins was meant to communicate the emperor’s role in ensuring the safety and stability of the empire. By highlighting the emperor’s ability to maintain peace and order, these coins also served a propagandistic purpose, reinforcing the idea that the emperor was the guarantor of Roman security.
As a deity, Securitas was not only symbolic of physical safety but also of economic and social stability. Her role was to protect the integrity of the empire’s governance, institutions, and laws. The Roman state saw its success and longevity as dependent on the preservation of these elements, and Securitas became a representation of the emperor’s power to ensure the continuity of the Roman way of life. She was a figure of reassurance to the Roman people, symbolizing the certainty that their lives and livelihoods were protected by the state’s institutions. Thus, she was an important emblem in the Roman ideology of leadership and governance.

Helena (mother of Constantine I)
Antioch, 327-329 CE
BI Nummus 3.62g, 20mm, 12h.
FL HELENA AVGVSTA, diademed and mantled bust to right, wearing necklace
SECVRITAS REIPVBLICE, Securitas standing facing, head to left, lowering branch and raising robe with right hand; •SMANTB in exergue
RIC VII 82
Ex Roma