voulgaroktonou

Great examples, @Severus Alexander! Love them!

Dear @Hrefn, I've just finished reading DOC 3:1, pp. 77-80 for PG's comments on officina/control marks. He points out that after the reign of Leo III, the traditional use of officina numbers fell into confusion, being replaced on the gold by a series of "control marks", which no longer had any numerical significance. But he further notes that these control marks performed a real function, by the fact that they were sometimes recut into the dies. I hope this is of some help. And again, I must compliment you on a beautiful solidus.

@Hrefn, what a wonderful example! Far nicer than my worn and holed specimen! In the DO cat., Grierson refers to them as "control marks", not as "officina" numbers. The DO examples record them as ε θ X. If they are Greek numerals, they would be 5, 9, but 10 would be Ι in Greek. It seems odd that it would be expressed as a Roman numeral, given the two others being Greek....I'll try to read a little further tonight on the subject. (If my wife and 4 dogs permit me the leisure....)

Nikephoros I, emperor (802–11), was logothetes tou genikou (finance minister) under Irene, and upon her downfall, was raised to the throne. Although the new Basileus proved an excellent administrator whose economic and military policies strengthened the empire, his increased taxation programs earned him considerable unpopularity and some of the Byzantine sources speak of him in scathing terms. He re-hellenized Greece by transplanting families from Asia Minor to there in 810 and extended Byzantine administration westward by creating new themes in the old province. He took the field several times against the Bulgarians, but in 811 was killed in battle with the Bulgarian khan Krum, becoming the first Roman emperor to die in battle since Valens. Krum reportedly made his skull into a drinking cup (I suspect that is the first for a Roman emperor, too. One hopes so.) Nikephoros was succeeded (very briefly) by his son Staurakios. However, he soon afterward died of injuries he had received in the disastrous battle. Follis, Constantinople, 802-3. 5.27 gr. 22.7 mm. 6 h. Sear 1606; DO 4; BM 2-3; BNP 1; T. 5; R. 1782. This issue dates to Nikephoros’ sole rule, prior to elevating his son Staurakios to the throne in Dec. 803 Solidus, Constantinople, 803-11, 4.39 gr. 19.5 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1604; DO 2c; BM 8-10; R. 1786. On this and the following coins, Staurakios appears with his father as co-Augustus; here, on the reverse. Follis, Constantinople, 803-11, 5.59 gr. 22 mm. 6 hr. S 1607; DO 5; BNP 2-8; BM 12-14 (Leo V); R.1802(Leo V); T. 20. (Leo V). DOC 3:1, p. 353 discusses the attribution of this anepigraphic class, noting that Wroth, in the British Museum catalog, gave it to the reign of Leo V. But assigning it to Nikephoros, Grierson observes that “such a gap of eight years in mint activity at this particular period is most unlikely.” Follis, Syracuse, 803-11, 2.64 gr. 22.1 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1612; DO 10; BM 13-14; R. 1787-8; Spahr 351-5. As on the solidus above it, the portrait of Nikephoros is on the obverse, that of his son, on the reverse.

Constantine VI, emperor (780–97). Leo IV crowned his 5 year old son Constantine VI as co-emperor in 776, but after Leo's death in 780, Constantine’s domineering mother Irene ruled as Constantine's regent for 10 years. He was an ineffectual ruler, unequal to the relentless incursions of the Arabs in the east and the Bulgarians in the west. Undermined by Irene, he was ultimately dethroned and blinded on 19 Apr. 797 with such brutality that he died shortly afterward. Irene, empress (797–802). In 768 Constantine V brought Irene from Athens to Constantinople, where she was crowned and married to his son Leo IV. On her husband’s death in 780, Irene and her supporters were for 10 years de facto rulers of the empire during the minority of her son Constantine VI. The powerful personality of Irene had always overshadowed that of her weak son Constantine. Only an army mutiny prevented her from taking power in 790, whereupon Constantine deposed her for a brief period, until she was recalled in 792. After her exile, she returned to Constantinople and began eliminating her enemies. As the coinage shows, she quickly relegated her son to second place. In 797 she dethroned and blinded Constantine, thus becoming the first ruling Byzantine empress, but was herself toppled by Nikephoros I in 802 and exiled to Lesbos, where she died a year later. Irene was a devoted Iconophile and in 787 she pushed forward an official condemnation of Iconoclasm at the Second Council of Nicaea. Although the movement would be resurrected early in the 9th. century, it lacked the ferocity of its earlier manifestation under Leo III and Constantine V, and would be in due course consigned to the “dustbin of [Byzantine] history”. Mint of all is Constantinople. Follis, 790-792?, 2.62 gr. 19.9 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1596? Obverse: Busts of Constantine VI and Irene. Reverse: Busts of Constantine V, Leo III, and Leo IV behind balustrade. Below, M, flanked by X and N. Below M, A. There are two varieties to this series: on the first, Sear 1597, dated to 780-790, both Constantine and his mother hold a globus cruciger; on the second, Sear 1596, dated to Irene’s temporary fall from power between 790-792, only Constantine holds a globus cruciger; his mother has been deprived of this symbol of rule. I think mine is Sear 1596, but its condition is so abysmal, one can not be sure. Follis, 792-797, 2.76 gr. 19 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1598; DO 7; BNP 3-6; BM 10-11; R. 1779. Berk/England sale 12/7/89, lot 308. This subsequent issue demonstrates Irene’s ascendency over her son. She holds both symbols of power, a globus cruciger and scepter cruciger, and Constantine has been removed to the reverse. Follis, 797-802, 5.59 gr. 24.6 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1600; DO 2; BNP 1-3; BM 2; R. 1781; T. 23-24. Ex Protonotarios collection. In this final issue, Constantine having been deposed, Irene is the sole occupant of the throne.

Beautiful examples, @Severus Alexander!

Leo IV the Khazar, emperor (775–80); his father Constantine V crowned him co-emperor in 751, and in Dec. 769, he married an Athenian, Irene, of whom we shall hear more later. Soon after his accession, Leo crowned their son Constantine VI as co-emperor. He campaigned against the Arabs, sending forces into Syria in 776 and 778, but could not prevent major attacks into Asia Minor in 776, 779, and 780. Leo supported Iconoclasm but aggressively persecuted Iconophiles only in Aug. 780, when he had a number of court officials beaten, tonsured, and imprisoned. He died of a fever while campaigning against the Bulgarians. Mint of both coins is Constantinople Follis, 776-778. 4.61 gr. 23.5 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1586; DO 4; BNP 1-9. Obv: Busts of Leo IV on left, bearded, and Constantine VI on right, beardless. Both wear crown with cross and chlamys. Rev: Bearded busts of Leo III on left and Constantine V on right, above palustrade; both wear crown with cross and loros. To left and right, B A. Below, mark of value between X N. A below. Half follis, 776-778. 1.82 gr. 17.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1588; DO 5; BNP 10; BM 14. Obverse and reverse all as on the follis above, save B A flanking figures on the reverse is lacking. By this time, the convention of M standing for 40 nummi has been forgotten, so the traditional mark of value is used for both denominations, which can only be distinguished by size and weight. Mint of both coins is Constantinople Follis, 778-780. 4.53 gr. 24.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1587; DO 6; BM 15-17; T. 13; R. 1773 Obv: Leo IV on left, bearded, and Constantine VI on right, beardless, seated on double throne. Both wear crown with cross and chlamys. Rev: Busts of Leo III on left and Constantine V on right, above palustrade; both are bearded, and wear crown with cross and loros. Below, mark of value between X N. A below. Half follis, 778-780. 1.91 gr. 22.7 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1589; DO 7. Obverse and reverse all as on the follis. Grierson, in DOC 3:1, p. 325 writes that this class with seated figures dates to 778, when “a major victory over the Arabs was celebrated with exceptional splendor and the two emperors showed themselves seated side by side to the crowd.” By this time, the convention of M standing for 40 nummi has been forgotten, so the traditional mark of value is used for both denominations, which can only be distinguished by size and weight. Mint of Syracuse,. Follis, 778-780. 2.55 gr. 20.6 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1590; DO 8; T. 14; Ricotti 197. Obv: Leo IV on left, bearded and Constantine VI, on right, beardless, enthroned facing on double throne with curved arms. Each wears a crown and chlamys and holds in right hand an akakia. Although the arms of the throne are visible, the flan is too small to take the entire die. Rev: Busts of Leo III on left and Constantine V on right, above palustrade; both are bearded, and wear crown with cross and loros. Beneath, CIK/

Constantine V, emperor (741–75). Leo III crowned his son Constantine as co-emperor in 720 and in 732 married him to the Khazar khagan's daughter, who took the name Irene and bore him Leo (IV). Constantine zealously advanced his father’s iconoclastic policies, persecuting iconodules in the bureaucracy, army, and church; his attacks on monks evolved into a campaign against monasticism as an institution. He also rejected the cult of saints, and was hostile to relics, except those of the True Cross. It might not be too far to consider him a precursor to Oliver Cromwell. After the triumph of the iconodules after 787, Byzantine historians displayed their hostility toward his aggressive support of Iconoclasm by nicknaming him and “Kopronymos” (“feces-named”) for supposedly having defecated while being baptized. Although his posthumous reputation among posterity was darkened because of his hatred of icon worship (in the 9th C. his bones were exhumed, burned, and cast into the sea), even his detractors acknowledged his prowess in military affairs. He further strengthened the empire by resettling colonists in areas that had been depopulated by invasion or plague. Constantine associated his son Leo (IV) on the throne with him on June 6, 751, and he thereafter appears on the coinage with his father. Constantine additionally stresses the continuity of the dynasty by adding his deceased father Leo (III) to the reverse, as @Hrefn pointed out in an earlier post. In fact, under Leo IV, the coinage becomes a virtual family tree, with both his deceased father (Constantine V) and grandfather (Leo III) appearing on the reverses, with legends explaining the family relationship. In DOC v. 3:1, p. 292, Grierson writes: “this may show Muslim influence: it was a pictorial representation of the filiation formulae which played a major role in Arab personal names…” Constantine alone, 741-751 Follis , Constantinople , 741 – late 740s (?) . 3.17 gr. 19.2 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1555 (This coin); DO 6b Half Follis Constantinople, ca. 741-750. 2.15 gr. 16.8 mm. 6hr. Sear 1558 (this coin); DO 7b; BM 27 Constantine V, with Leo IV, as well as with Leo III (top row), 751-775 Top row: Follis, Constantinople, 751-769(?). 1.74 gr. 19.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1556; DO 11; BNP 2-3; BM 23-25; T. 54; R. 1754-55. Obv: Crowned facing busts of Constantine V and Leo IV. Rev: Crowned facing half-length bust of Leo III, set on balustrade. Below, large M, to left, X; to right, N. Beneath, A. Follis, Constantinople, 769-775. 3.13 gr. 20 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1557; DO 13; BM 26. Obv: Constantine V and Leo IV seated on a double throne. Rev: All as on previous coin. Bottom row: Half Follis, Constantinople, 769-775. 2.29 gr. 18.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1561; DO 14 Obv: Constantine V and Leo IV seated on a double throne. Rev: K between immobilized X/X/X and N/N/N. This is the last issue of half folles to bear the traditional mark of value. Henceforth, the halves can only be distinguished from folles by their smaller size. The mint of these is Syracuse. Top row: Follis, 741-775, 2.41 gr. 16.7 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1568 var.; DO 18 var; BM 33=R. 191. Full disclosure, I have not thought about this coin for years, and as I list it here, I realize I had unresolved questions. Sear 1568, et al. list the figure labelled ΚωΝS as bearded, with the figure labelled ΛεΟΝ as beardless, hence Constantine (V) and Leo (IV). However, here, the latter figure is bearded. (Leo III?). The issue is touched on by Grierson’s footnote 18.1 in DOC v. 3:1, p. 311. A clear inscription of ΝεΟV to the right on the reverse would clearly refer to Leo IV. I would gratefully hear anyone’s thoughts on this issue. Follis, 751-775, 3.71 gr. 21.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1569; DO 19c; BNP 5-15; BM 35-51; R. 1757-62. Obv: Busts of Constantine V and Leo IV. Rev: Bust of Leo III holding cross potent. Bottom row: Follis, 1.79 gr. 16.3 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1569A; DO 20. Obv: Busts of Constantine V and Leo IV. over balustrade. Rev: Bust of Leo III over balustrade, holding cross potent.

Wonderful coins, @Hrefn! Is it my imagination, or is the deceased Leo on the right starting to resemble a zombie?

Those are great coins, @Severus Alexander! I love all of your Leos above. I think he's my favorite east Roman emperor!

Looking back over my notes, @Severus Alexander, I find them frustratingly slim. It's been a while since I've had the coin in hand; will fetch it next week from the bank and have a look. I'm still thinking about that beautiful puzzle of yours!

Leo III, emperor (717–41); founder of the Isaurian dynasty. His baptismal name was perhaps Konon. Leo was reared in Mesembria, where his family had been resettled under Justinian II. In 705 he came to the attention of Justinian after donating 500 sheep to his army; he followed Justinian to Constantinople and rose to prominence. Leo was named strategos of the Anatolikon theme by Anastasios II, after whose deposition he joined forces with Artavasdos to force the abdication of Theodosios III. Leo entered Constantinople on 25 Mar. 717 and secured his throne by resisting the siege of Maslama. Throughout his reign, Leo was concerned with the defense, organization, and unity of the empire. His Ecloga was an important revision of Justinianic law. He is perhaps best known for initiating the movement that we call Iconoclasm, the destruction of holy images, citing the various Mosaic prohibitions against graven images, as given in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. He associated his son Constantine (V) with himself on the throne in 720. Leo alone, 717-20. Top row: Pattern silver Solidus or ceremonial issue, Constantinople, 717-720. 3.04 gr. 19 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1511; Hahn 23; T. 43; Füeg 2 Pattern silver Solidus or ceremonial issue, Constantinople, 717-720. 2.56 gr. 23.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1511; Hahn 23; T. 43; Füeg 2 (officina I (10) not recorded). Bottom row: Follis, Constantinople, 717-720. 7.22 gr. 25.6 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1513; Hahn 25; DO 24 Half Follis, Constantinople, 717-720. 4.18 gr. 23.7 mm. 6hr. Sear 1517 (var); H. 27 (var); DO 25 (var). Officina B not recorded. Decanummium, Constantinople, 717-720. 1.44 gr. 19 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1521; Hahn 28; Berk 847 (this coin). Ex Berk/England sale 12/7/89, lot 288. Leo alone, 717-20, continued. Follis, Constantinople, 717-720. 3.47 gr. 21.9 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1513A (var); Hahn 24 (var). Officina A not in published references. Overstruck on a follis of Anastasios II. Emperor standing, wearing crown with loros and holding akakia and long cross. Half Follis, Constantinople, 717-720. 3.64 gr. 22.9 mm 5 hr. Sear 1517A; Hahn 26; DO 85 (as Justinian II, first reign). Obverse all as before. Not pretty, but very rare. Leo with Constantine V, 720-41. Solidus, Constantinople, 720. 4.44 gr. 20.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1504; DO 3 var.; Füeg 3K (this coin) = Berk 216 (this coin) Tremissis (electrum), Rome, 721-41. 1.40 gr. 16.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1534; DO 87 Tagging along after the previous Rome coin, a diminutive 30 Nummi, Rome, 717-41. 1.67 gr. 16.2 mm. 1 hr. Sear 1534D; Hahn 31a; BNP 1 Leo with Constantine V, 720-41, continued. Follis, Constantinople, circa 725-732. 4.02 gr. 21.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1514; DO 31a; R. 1741. Reverse, Constantine above a balustrade; below, mark of value. Half Follis, Constantinople, circa 725-732. 1.69 gr. 16.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1518; DO 34. Reverse as before. Leo with Constantine V, 720-41, continued. Follis, Constantinople, circa 732-735. 3.83 gr. 25.4 mm. 6hr. Sear 1516; DO 38a; BM (Leo V) 15; T. (Leo V) 13. Busts of Leo, bearded, and Constantine V, beardless, facing, each crowned and wearing chlamys, and holding an akakia in right hand. Half Follis, Constantinople mint. Struck circa 735-741. 1.98 gr. 18.4 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1520 (This coin); DO 41b. Obverse as before. Leo with Constantine V (or Artavasdos with Nikephoros? See penultimate entry with this photo repeated below.) Follis, Constantinople, 732 (?). 2.61 gr. 20.8 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1515; DO 36. Ex Protonotarios collection. Anepigraphic. Facing busts of Leo and Constantine, holding between them a cross potent. Leo is bearded, and wears chlamys; Constantine is beardless, and wears loros. Both wear crowns with cross. Half Follis, Constantinople, 732 (?). 1.20 gr. 17.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1519; DO (37b) = Agora 1829b. Obverse as before. Follis, Syracuse, 717-20. 1.20 gr. 19.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1529; Hahn 30; DO 52. Leo standing, holding long cross and globus cruciger. Follis, Syracuse, 731-41. 2.40 gr. 22 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1531; DO 55; Spahr 321, 321bis; Ricotti 190; BM 21-23; R. 1756. On obverse Leo; on reverse Constantine, each holding cross and akakia. Artavasdos, 742–43. The Armenian Artavasdos was appointed strategos (governor) of the Armeniakon theme by Anastasios II (713–15). He supported the revolt of Leo III against Theodosios III and subsequently received Leo's daughter Anna in marriage and increasing positions of rank in the government. After Leo's death Artavasdos revolted against Constantine V in June of either 741 or 742, defeated him, and entered Constantinople, perhaps exploiting a reaction against Iconoclasm. He ruled with his eldest son Nikephoros as co-emperor and received support from the Papal Curia for his Iconodule leanings. His most notable achievement was the restoration of icons. However, Constantine defeated him in the summer of 743 and the restored emperor entered Constantinople on 2 Nov. of that year. Artavasdos and his sons were blinded in the Hippodrome. Artavasdos with Nikephoros? (or Leo with Constantine V? See 6th photo and entry above) Follis, Constantinople. 2.61 gr. 20.8 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1515; DO 36 (both as Leo and Constantine). Ex Protonotarios collection. Half Follis, Constantinople. 1.20 gr. 17.6 mm. 6hr. Sear 1519; DO (37b) = Agora 1829b. (both as Leo and Constantine). As noted in the text to the 6th photo above, most scholars place these 2 rare coins in the joint reign of Leo and his son Constantine. However, Henri Pottier, in his article “Restitution d’un follis a Artavasde, l’usurpateur usurpe (Constantinople 742/3)”, in Bulletin du Cercle d'Etudes Numismatiques, 26, 1 (1989) suggests on the basis of overstrikes, that they actually belong to the usurper Artavasdos. I hope he is right, for otherwise I will never have a portrait of him in my modest collection…. …and will have to be content with my worn and scratched miliaresion. Miliaresion, 742-3. 1.73 gr. 20.9 mm. 11 hr. Sear 1745; DO 6; BNP 1. Ex Henri Pottier collection.

A beauty!

Thank you, my friend. You saw it in person when you visited us last.

That's a wonderful overstrike!

Philippikos, 711-13 The emperor we know as Philippikos was baptized Bardanes. In 711, Justinian sent him with an expedition to punish Cherson, but once there, his army revolted and declared Bardanes emperor, he taking the new name Philippikos. More concerned with religious controversy than effectively dealing with the ever present Arab menace, on 3 June 713 he was deposed and blinded by officers of the Opsikion theme in favor of Anastasios II. Follis, Constantinople, 711/12. 2.99 gr. 22.2 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1455; Hahn 21; DO 9a. Overstruck on a follis of Justinian II (Sear 1428). When the reverse is turned 90 degrees to the right, one can see the portrait of Justinian as well as much of inscription of the host coin. The portrait of Justinian’s son Tiberios, however, has been obliterated by the overstriking. Half follis, Constantinople, 711/12. 2.69 gr. 20.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1456; Hahn 22; DO 12. Philippikos’ portrait on his coinage is depicted crowned, wearing the loros, and holding in his right hand a globus cruciger, and in his left, an eagle tipped scepter, or Scipio. Anastasios II, 713-15 The protasekretis (chief of the imperial chancery ) Artemios was crowned as Anastasios on 4 June 713, following the deposition of Philippikos. Luckily for the empire, in his short reign he proved a much more energetic ruler than his predecessor. Reports of large-scale Arab campaign preparations in Syria induced him to prepare Constantinople for the worst. He appointed competent thematic officers, including the future Leo III; ordered individuals in Constantinople to be able to support themselves for three years or else to leave the city; rebuilt the fleet; restored the land and sea walls; erected siege weapons; and stored grain. He also dispatched a fleet in 715 to destroy the Arabs' timber supply in Phoenicia, but the expedition broke up in Rhodes and the Opsikion troops revolted in favor of Theodosios III. After a six-month struggle, Anastasios abdicated, became a monk, and was exiled to Thessalonike. Hexagram, Constantinople, 713-15. 2.24 gr. 20 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1468A; Hahn 27. Struck with solidus dies. By the reign of Justinian II, the increasingly rare hexagrams were being struck with dies intended for solidi. Unfortunately broken, but hard to get in any grade. Half siliqua?, Constantinople, 713-15. 0.78 gr. 14.6 mm. 7 hr. Unlisted in Sear et al. It is perhaps better to denote the denomination as ceremonial silver. Another example appeared in NAC 23, 19 March 2002, lot 1740. The cataloger there wrote “We have attributed this very interesting coin to the reign of Anastasius II, but it might as well belong to the reign of Leo III.” Although the portrait does seem to place this piece in the first quarter of the 8th century, Hahn records a ceremonial piece with similar reverse for Constantine IV (Hahn 69). Per private communication with Simon Bendall, C. Morrison acquired 2 specimens, one for the Bibliotheque Nationale (Sternberg 31, 1988, lot 579 = Leu 36, May 1985, lot 392. 0.63 gr.), and for DO, the NAC example noted above. For a discussion of this coin, see C. Morrisson, “Imperial generosity and its monetary expression: the rise and decline of the largesses”, in Donation et Donateurs dans le Monde Byzantin, pp. 25 - 43, esp. p. 40. Follis, Constantinople, 713-14. 3.75 gr. 23.9 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1469; Hahn 28; DO 7a Silver Half Siliqua, Rome, 713-715. 0.21 gr. 8.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1482A (this coin); Hahn et al. unlisted. O’Hara, “A find of Byzantine silver from the mint of Rome for the period A. D. 641-752”, (Revue Suisse de Numismatique, v. 64 (1985), pp. 105-40, #26 (this coin). The reverse features a monogram for ROMA. Theodosios III, 715–17 Theodosios, a tax collector, was acclaimed emperor by troops revolting against Anastasios II. Reluctantly accompanying the rebels, he entered Constantinople in late fall 715. Little is known of his reign. In 716 he concluded a treaty with the Bulgar khan Tervel, probably anticipating the impending Arab attack on Constantinople. When Maslama invaded Byzantine territory that same year, the thematic generals Artavasdos and Leo III deposed Theodosios. He abdicated on 25 March and both he and his son became monks. Hexagram, Constantinople, 715-717. 2.27 gr. 19 mm. 4 hr. Sear 1491; Hahn 12. Follis, Syracuse, 716-17. 9.18 gr. 34.2 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1496; Hahn 16. Although the obverse is anepigraphic, the coin is signed in the emperor’s name on the reverse by his monogram above the mark of value: Θεοδοσίου.

Dear @sand, The reason Isaac's "warlike" image didn't go over well with contemporaries is that because to them, it suggested that the emperor was attributing military success to his own prowess, and not to "The Lord of hosts". Cf. Psalm 33: 16-17, and 20: 16 "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." I think Grierson cited a passage from Skylitzes in this connection; I'll have a copy of him retrieved from the stacks and will check it later.

@severus alexander, I LOVE your example of SB 1366 over top of SB 1334. 2 for the price of one. What's not to love about that! Everyone has provided so many wonderful examples in this great topic - thank you, all, for sharing!

Dear @sand, "RIC II says of the Tiberius III coin portraits "it will be the last time in Byzantine history that the effigy of the emperor will be shown wearing the implements of war". ", it's true that Tiberius' military visage is exceptional for numismatic imperial iconography, but we will see it again under Isaac I Comnenus, when the emperor is shown holding a sword and wearing military attire. Grierson notes in DOC 3:2, p. 759 that his gold coinage was for that reason unpopular with contemporaries for its "ostentatiously military character".

In 698, Leontios dispatched a fleet to relieve Carthage, which was being threatened by the Arabs. The expedition was a failure, and Carthage and the Exarchate of Africa passed permanently out of Roman control. Rather than return to Constantinople to report their failure, the leaders of the fleet elected one of their number, a vice admiral of probable Germanic origin named Apsimar as emperor. Hastily assuming the more Roman name of Tiberios (III), the new emperor sailed to Constantinople and overthrew Leontios. During his reign, 698–705, the new emperor strengthened the empire militarily. However, in 705, the exiled Justinian secretly entered the City, reassumed power, and overthrew Tiberios. The new emperor executed Tiberios and Leontios, who had been imprisoned when Tiberios had rebelled against him. Solidus, Constantinople, 698-705 4.32 gr. 19.5 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1360; Hahn 1; BM 6; T. 6. When Tiberius’ portrait appears on his coinage (as opposed to his standing figure, as on my third coin below) he wears a cuirass, and carries a spear and shield, hearkening back to the military imagery of Constantine IV. Follis, Constantinople, 698/9. 7.51 gr. 29.7 mm. 7 hr. Sear 1366; Hahn 73; DO 8c. Overstruck on a follis of Leontios, which in turn had been overstruck on an earlier coin. Visible on the obverse on the left are ANNO and below, CON of the Leontios reverse, and on the reverse, the loros and globus cruciger of Leontios can be seen to the left of the mark of value, and above it, the remains of ANNO of the original coin. Half follis, Constantinople, 701/2. 3.34 gr. 26.4 mm. 1 hr. Sear 1369; Hahn 76. Standing figure of emperor, holding globus cruciger and spear. Overstruck on a half follis of Leontios, whose loros and globus cruciger are visible on the reverse. Follis, Syracuse, 698-705. 3.40 gr. 20.4 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1395; Hahn 79b; DO 32. The obverse is anepigraphic, but a monogram above the mark of value spells out his name: ΤΙΒεΡΙΟΥ.

From the style of the drapery, it is likely Heraclius, from Nicomedia, an example of Sear 833. Year 2, offiicna B. What's visible of the legend would bear that out.

Leontios, 695–98, had a military career going back to Constantine IV. Although he campaigned effectively against the Arabs in 686, in 692 Justinian imprisoned him, perhaps for subsequent failures in Asia Minor. He was released in 695 and created strategos (military governor) of Hellas but in that same year, he revolted and deposed Justinian. The Byzantine sources call him Leontios but his coinage as well as western sources indicate that he ruled officially as Leo. In 698, he was overthrown by Tiberios III, who gave HIM a nose job and imprisoned him in the Dalmatou monastery. Follis, Constantinople, 695/6. 7.65 gr. 28.1 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1334; Hahn 32. Ex Protonotarios Collection. Half Follis, Constantinople, 695/6. 5.27 gr. 23.1 mm. 12 hr. Sear 1335; Hahn 33. The obverse is anepigraphic but his characteristic broad, bearded face reveals his identity. Half Follis, Constantinople, 695/6. 3.39 gr. 22.2 mm. 1 hr. Sear 1335; Hahn 33. Overstruck on a radiate fraction of Maximianus. Of the host coin details remain of the obverse legend…MAXIMIANVS PF AVG, plus the back of the portrait with the radiate crown and wreath ties. On the reverse are visible details of the laurel wreath. Three similar overstruck bronzes of Leontius were published for the first time In Spink’s Numismatic Circular, Jan. 1971, p. 7; the undertypes of these coins were all Tetrarchic radiate fractions with vota wreaths on the reverse as this coin, one of Maximianus and two of Constantius I as Caesar. The author conjectures that a hoard of radiate fractions may have been discovered early in Leontius’ reign and “used as ready - made flans for this issue.”

A friend suggested I edit my compliment, so as to not mislead anyone into thinking I meant by the word "lightweight" something negative! So that nihil obstat, I rephrase it as: "That coin with the *+* in exergue is a beautiful lightweight solidus" !

A beautiful lightweight!