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Byzantine History in 10 coins (491-1204 AD)
Byzantine History in 10 coins (491-1204 AD)
Preface
A great history of The Byzantine Empire can be seen through its coinage. Christian symbology, Imperial culture, and the state's evolution can all be observed. I have chronologically listed 10 Byzantine coins that tell more history, and better stories, than most others. Since I could only include 10 coins, I left out mint specific types and small variations to be as broad as possible. Additionally, this list will only include coinage from Anastasius I to 1204, as later on I will be releasing an article, The Restored Empire in 10 Coins to encompass 1204-1453 AD.
From The Authors Collection, on the left a small module type (8.2g), on the right, the increased size type (17.5g).
From The Authors Collection, on the left a small module type (8.2g), on the right, the increased size type (17.5g).
Anastasius I Dicorus 40 Nummi Follis (Post Reform), 498-518 AD
Because of the total devaluation of the bronze coinage, collecting tax had become extremely inefficient. Currency conversion from bronze to gold was a nightmare with the scarcity of a middle silver coinage (due to the backseat silver coinage had taken after Diocletian's reforms), the majority of currency in circulation was either the gold Solidus, fractional gold, or the small bronze nummus. Anastasius implemented major reforms, creating a new series of bronze denominations, the highest being the “40 Nummi” follis tariffed at 40 of the old bronze follis, which itself was equivalent to 1/60 of a Tremmesis (the smallest gold denomination) or 1/180 of a Solidus (the largest gold denomination). This was vastly more efficient than the older system, where 2,400 Nummi were equivalent to the Tremmesis, and any in-between coinage was uncommon. From 498 to 512, the new standard was struck on a “small module” with a 40 Nummi follis weighing just around 8g, but post 512 the sizes increased significantly, up to around 20g. This can be attributed to the success of Anastasius economic reforms, and by the end of his reign, these reforms were so successful that, “By the time of his death he had increased the resources of the state treasury by something like 320,000 pounds of gold.” (Sear 23).
From The Authors Collection
From The Authors Collection
Justinian I “The Great” 40 Nummi Follis (Facing Bust Type) Circa 539-565 AD
Justinian's reign marked a crossroads in Byzantine history, and the empire emerged a very different place after his reign. The coinage of his reign is no different. The Solidus lost the ¾ facing bust, and was simplified into a straight forward facing bust for simplicity, which would be the standard for the rest of the history of the Solidus use with a little exception. The bronze coinage was also converted into a facing bust standard, with iconic imagery becoming standard such as the Globus Cruciger, and the Horse Spearing Motif on the emperor's cuirass (previously only seen on the gold solidus). The weight standard also saw a slight increase for the bronze coinage. In addition to all these changes, the significant expansion of The Empire can be seen by the various new mints/mint marks introduced on the coinage.
Heraclius with Heraclius Constantine Hexagram, 615-641 AD
Heraclius inherited The Empire in one of its most desperate states, and during his reign it was truly brought to the brink of collapse. In response to the dire situation in the war with the Sassanids, Heraclius melted down a significant amount of church plate and scraped together every scrap he could find to mint a new large silver coin, the “Hexagram”, from then on worth 1/12 a Solidus (Grierson 57). It was used to pay the soldiers in a final attempt to stop the Sassanids. The direness of the situation can be immediately observed by the legend on the reverse of the type, perhaps one of the most desperate on any coin ever minted, “DEUS AUDIUTA ROMANIS”, May God Help The Romans.
Justinian II “The Slit Nosed” Christ Solidus (First Reign), 685-695 AD
This coin just barely squeezes onto the list, because relative to general history it's not as important as any other on the list, but Numismatically it's relevant for going against the style of coinage of the era and depicting Christ. After the second reign of Justinian, Christ would not be seen again on coinage until the reign of Michael III, when his mother Theodora II (as regent) ended the second Iconoclasm. Justinian II was a proactive ruler deeply involved in all affairs of the state, and it seems likely he may have directly had a hand in this change to the currency.
Irene of Athens Solidus (Sole Reign), 797-802 AD
For arguably the first time in Roman history, a woman held sole control of The Empire (Ulpia Severina has a case some 500 years earlier). This makes Irene's coinage significant, and on top of that, her sole reign gold coinage defies the convention of the time, by having her appear on both sides, contrary to the typical dynastic imagery of the period. Although unfortunately, the idea of a woman being in sole rule of The Empire at this point was extremely taboo, and facing pressure home and abroad, she was overthrown and packed off from the capital in 802.
Constantine VIII Solidus (Sole Reign), 1025-1028 AD
Many may see this example as an odd choice, being that Constantine VIII’s sole reign was short and widely seen as unsuccessful. But looking at this coin presents an interesting image of The Empire. The finest examples of this type, in my opinion, match a skill in the engraving on mass circulation coins not seen since the reign of Justinian II. This could very well be attributed to The Empire being in its “Zenith” medieval state, the culmination of over 200 years of The Empire slowly being rebuilt under the Amorians, and then the Macedonians. This culminated in the reign of Basil II “The Bulgar Slayer”, who upon his death in 1025 left The Empire unchallenged in Europe or Asia. Although a poor ruler on his own and experiencing a short reign, one must imagine the contrast of this type to something being struck post The 20 Years Anarchy. One thing is clear, The Empire was reaping the benefits of Basil’s conquests.
Zoe and Theodora “Porphyrogenita” Solidus (Joint Reign), 1042 AD
This one is self admittedly a biased inclusion, being that it is my favorite coin. Nevertheless, a case can absolutely be made for this coin's historical importance. The powerful imagery of two women ruling The Empire, and popular ones nonetheless, can be viewed as a significant social change, Where in the reign of Irene, her reign was seen as extremely taboo, Zoe and Theodora were loved by the people. Unfortunately the sisters could not get along, and to stabilize her position Zoe married Constantine IX and transferred power to him. However, Zoe, Theodora, and Constantine IX continued to rule jointly, and as they each slowly died off, eventually Theodora ruled solely. Her death marked the End of The Macedonian Dynasty.
From The Authors Collection.
From The Authors Collection.
Michael VII Doukas “Parapinakes” Histamenon Nomisma, 1071-1078 AD
Michael VII is widely considered a contender for the worst Roman Emperor. After the battle of Manzikert, the Roman east was in shambles, but the situation was not yet lost. Unfortunately, Michael’s total inability to rule The Empire was fatal to Roman Anatolia and by the time of his abdication, not much was left. In his reign, a desperate financial situation developed, leading to a massive debasement of the gold currency. Because of this, he was given the nickname “Parapinakes” Minus a Quarter. By the end of his reign, the Histamenon was debased to as low as 40% gold, and the economy and Empire were in shambles.
Alexios I Komnenos Hyperpyron Nomisma (Post Reform), 1092-1118 AD
Alexios I Komnenos wasted no time restoring Rome like the great emperors of old, and in 1092 he finally did away with the heavily debased Histamenon Nomisma, and replaced it with a new, high content gold coin, the Hyperpyron. The monetary reforms of Alexios would more or less stay the same until the reign of Andronikos II in The Restored Empire. Alexios’s victories in all fields of governance, militarily, economic, and diplomatic, would be a second wind for The Empire, beginning the “Komnenian Restoration”.
Isaac Komnenos Aspron Trachy (Usurper In Cyprus), 1184-1191 AD
Unfortunately the Komnenians could not flourish forever, and the brutality of Andronikos I Komnenos was extremely unpopular among the aristocracy, whom Andronikos was trying to rip up. In 1184 Isaac Komnenos rebelled and established himself in Cyprus, where he ruled for 7 years and minted coins in his name, until being defeated by Richard I “The Lionheart”. This situation is oddly comparable to The 4th Crusade, a western ruler overthrowing a Roman “usurper” and installing themselves on the throne. Cyprus was never again brought back into The Empire, and the rule of Andronikos marked the beginning of a great decline, the likes of which Rome had not seen since the collapse of the west.
Aftermath
After the overthrow Andronikos Komnenos, the new Angelid Dynasty brought civil war to The Empire, culminating in the crusader sack of Constantinople in 1204. The restoration of The Empire, and the history of The Restored Empire, can be observed in my next installment.
-Aaron 4/20/25
References
Sear, David. Byzantine Coins and Their Values. Spink Books, 31 Dec. 1987.
Grierson, Philip. Byzantine Coinage. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1999.
Roadmap for The Byzantine Numismatics Website
Roadmap for The Byzantine Numismatics Website
I'm really excited to be diving further into my research now to empower this website to be a better resource. My future plans are the following:
- Post Bi-Weekly Articles/Guides/Newsletters related to The Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Numismatics, Numismatics in General, and The Website.
- Establish some kind of large scale post (Maybe its own section) of a beginner guide to Byzantium and Byzantine Numismatics.
- Get more coins in the shop (IKIK).
- Make some videos and post them here (Although what kind of content I'm not sure yet) maybe later ill do a poll and see what people are interested in.
-Develop the "Forum Byzantium" section (its fairly basic right now tbh).
-Fix the issue where you have to type out "www." before the domain name or the website wont load (this is the first website I've ever developed lol).
Any suggestions feel free to reach out!
-Aaron 4/17/25
Website Established!
Website Established!
Welcome! Im excited to announce the creation of the website and hopefully it can become useful soon!
-Aaron 4/13/25
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