voulgaroktonou

Theophilos, emperor (829–42), son of Michael II, was crowned co-emperor by his father in spring 821. On Michael II’s death in 829, Theophilos became sole Augustus. The new emperor had a son, Constantine, whom he made co-Augustus in 830 or 831, but he died in infancy. A second son, Michael III was born in 840 and crowned in the  same year.

If Michael II was known as an unlettered rustic, his son Theophilos was schooled in art, literature, and philosophy, as well as in more practical subjects such as architecture and warfare. He possessed a deep knowledge of and respect for Islamic culture, but sadly much of his reign was spent in armed conflict against the Arabs.

He was deeply interested in the welfare of his subjects. His sound fiscal policies allowed major additions to the Great Palace, construction and restorations of many existing buildings, public and private, as well as renovations of Constantinople's walls. Perhaps influenced by his appreciation for Arab culture and religious sensibilities, Theophilos restored Iconoclasm by prohibiting all painted images, in addition to persecuting iconodules, many of whom he exiled or physically punished.  Theophilos died of dysentery in 842, and with him Iconoclasm came to an end.

Mint of all three coins is Constantinople.

Follis, 829-31. 7.63 gr. 30 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1666; DO 13; BNP 1-3; BM 15-16; R. 1822.

Theophilos, with Constantine. Follis, 830 or 831. 8.33 gr. 30.6 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1165;DO 14; BM 12; T. 43. As @Valentinan has noted, this is a rare coin.

Half follis, 830-42. 5.01 5.01 gr. 25.5 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1668; DO 16a; BM 27-29; R. 1826. With this class, the traditional mark of value on the reverse, by now lacking any meaning, is replaced by an inscription in several lines, as found on the miliaresia.

Mint of third coin, top row is Naples (?); that of the rest, Syracuse.

Solidus, 829-30. 3.97 gr. 17 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1671; DO 18.

Semissis, 831-42. 1.70 gr. 12.8 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1674; DO 26c; BM 36-40; T. 12. The faces on this class have a drawn, emaciated appearance.

Solidus, Naples (?), 831-42. 3.97 gr. 20 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1683; DO 33; BM 56-57; T. 36-37. Unlike the previous two coins, on which Theophilos appears on both sides, this coin depicts the emperor’s son Constantine on the reverse.

Follis, 830-42. 1.69 gr. 17 mm. 4 hr. Sear 1680; DO 29c; BNP 1-4. The reverse of this coin features Michael III and Constantine.

Follis, 830-42. 5.19 gr. 26.6 mm. 5 hr. Sear 1681; DO 30; BNP 5-10; BM 44-46; R. 1829. Overstruck on a follis of Michael II. DOC 3, p. 421 notes that the chronology of Theophilos’ Sicilian folles is uncertain due to a paucity of overstrikes. The overstriking of this coin on a Michael II could argue for placing it first in the series.

31 minutes ago, ewomack said:

 

Michael II the Amorian (AD 820-829) with Theophilus Æ Follis; Constantinople mint; Obv: MIXAHL S ΘЄOFILOS, crowned facing busts of Michael (on left) and Theophilus (on right); cross above; Rev: Large M, X/X/X to left, cross above, N/N/N to right, Θ below; 29.12mm; 6.21 grams; Sear 1642

Great coin!

Michael II, emperor (820–29), who came to the throne after his supporters butchered Leo V at  Christmas services in 820, was from an obscure provincial family. It was said of Michael that he was so uneducated that in the time it took him to write the 6 letters of his name, Μιχαηλ, other people could read an entire book. However, once in power, reflecting on the fact that the Empire had had 7 Basileis in the previous quarter of a century, Michael raised his 17 year old son Theophilos to the throne as co-emperor either in spring 821 or early summer 822. His wise concern on providing stability for the state was later to bear fruit in the subsequent rule of his son.

Michael supported the cause of Iconoclasm, but he did so with more restraint than his iconoclastic predecessors, leading to the gradual and permanent restoration of Orthodoxy.

The emperor survived a major revolt of Thomas the Slav, but was unable to prevent the Arabs’ conquest of Crete  between 824 and 827 and their invasion of Sicily ca.827. He died of illness in October 829, becoming the first monarch in a half century to die peacefully in bed while still in possession of the throne.

Miliaresion, Constantinople, 821-29. 2.25 gr. 24 mm. hr. 12. Sear 1641; DO 6; BNP 1-3; BM 5; T. 21; R. 1811. The obverse 5 line inscription reads: + MIXA / HL S ΘЄOFI / LЄ ЄC ΘЄЧ / ЬASILIS RO / MAIOҺ = “Michael, with Theophilos, by grace of God, emperors of the Romans, [may you conquer!] .” The reverse inscription, IҺSЧS XRIS - TЧS ҺICA translates as “Jesus Christ conquers!” This was one of the battle cries of the eastern Roman army.

Follis,  Constantinople, 821-29. 8.34 gr. 31.7 mm. 6hr. Sear 1642; DO 10; BNP 1-11; BM 7-10; T. 23. Busts of Michael and Theophilos.

Solidus, Syracuse, 821-29. 3.82 gr. 13 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1646; DO 15. Busts of Michael and Theophilos on obverse and reverse.

Follis, Syracuse, 821-29. 4.63 gr. 6 hr. Busts of Michael and Theophilos as on the Constantinopolitan follis above. Sear 1652; DO 21; BNP 1-11; BM 20-27; Ratto 1814 (this coin); T. 27-30. Ex Garrett collection. The M on the reverse performs two functions: an allusion to the traditional mark of value of the follis as well as an initial for Michael; the Θ, placed where an officina number would be expected, stands for Theophilos.

On 7/12/2023 at 8:52 AM, sand said:

Thanks @voulgaroktonou. In case anyone wants to look at all of the maps, for every month of the Byzantine Empire, the maps are screen shots of the Youtube video titled "The History of the Byzantine Empire : Every Month". It's a nice video.

Thank you for the tip - I'll watch it!

4 hours ago, sand said:

It's been nice to see that, so far, for every 2-day time slot, coins have been posted, in this excellent thread. Partly because @voulgaroktonou, @Valentinian, and @Severus Alexander have posted so many nice and interesting coins, for so many different Byzantine Emperors. Other Nvmis Forvms members have posted nice and interesting coins also. I also appreciate the interesting historical and numismatic information, which members have posted.

@voulgaroktonou Nice and interesting coins, and interesting historical information, for Nicephorus I, Michael I, and Leo V.

@Hrefn Beautiful Nicephorus I gold coin.

@Valentinian Nice and interesting Nicephorus I bronze coins. Interesting Michael I bronze coin. Nice and interesting coins for Leo V.

@Severus Alexander Interesting Nicephorus I bronze coins. Interesting Michael I bronze coins.

@ewomack Nice and interesting Leo V bronze coins.

Leo V was the Byzantine Emperor from  813 AD to 820 AD. The following map shows the Byzantine Empire, near the end of Leo V's reign in 820 AD.

Here's my Leo V 40 nummi bronze coin. The portraits of Leo V and his son Constantine, continue the trend of very abstract, inverted equilateral triangle shaped faces, in other words "heart shaped heads". My coin is a typical 40 nummi bronze coin from the Syracuse mint, with a small flan, and therefore some parts of the devices and legends are off flan.

Leo V. AE 40 Nummi Follis. Minted 813 AD To 820 AD. Syracuse Mint. Sear 1638. DO 16. Maximum Diameter 18.2 mm. Weight 1.99 grams. Obverse : Leo V Bust Facing Front, Short Beard, Wearing Crown With Cross On Top, Wearing Loros, Holding Cross Potent In Right Hand, Lambda On Left, "EON" On Right. Reverse : Leo V's Son Constantine Bust Facing Front, Beardless, Wearing Crown With Cross On Top, Wearing Chlamys, Holding Globus Cruciger In Right Hand, "K" On Left, "ON" On Right.

Dear @sand, Your Leo has beautiful coloring. Also, the maps you provide showing the empire's territories chronologically are wonderful! Thank you!

1 hour ago, Valentinian said:

@voulgaroktonou, thank you for the history. Also, the coins you showed are splendid!

Leo V, 813-820

Silver miliaresion. 24 mm. 2.10 grams.
Sear 1628
"Jesus Christ conquers"
"Leo and Constantine, by the grace of God, emperors of the Romans."


22 mm. 5.34 grams. Sear 1629.
Leo V alone, struck 813.


Sear 1630. 23 mm. 5.62 grams.
Leo and Constantine

Another one. Sear 1630. 21-18 mm. 4.25 grams.
 

The next image show that Sear 1635 comes in different sizes:

Struck at Syracuse. Sear 1635. Left one 22-20 mm and 2.67 grams. Right one 18-17 mm and 3.28 grams.

Also from Syracuse with the common green patina. Sear 1636. 19-18 mm. 2.42 grams.
Leo V in loros
Constantine in chlamys. 

20 mm. 2.80 grams. Sear 1637, at Syracuse.
Some of the reverse legend is legible
COҺS
Great coins, as usual, @Valentinian! I love this period of the coinage.

 

Leo V the Armenian, emperor (813–20). Leo had an uneven military career under Nikephoros I. Initially supporting the general Bardanes Tourkos, who rebelled against Nikephoros in 803, Leo deserted Bardanes for Nikephoros, who named him commander of the foederati and gave him substantial properties in Constantinople. However, Nikephoros later exiled him, perhaps because Leo had enriched himself illegally, but Michael I recalled him and created him general of the Armeniakon theme.

After the Byzantines’ catastrophic defeat by the Bulgarians after the battle of Versinikia, Michael I  abdicated in favor of Leo V on 11 July 813. In December of that ear, Leo proclaimed his son Constantine co-Augustus.

He restored Iconoclasm, which had fallen out of favor under Irene. Because of this, Byzantine sources are hostile to Leo. He was, however, an excellent general and enjoyed a reputation for fairness and honesty. He made competent military appointments, including his longtime associate Michael (II).  However, a growing distrust of the emperor toward Michael, caused him to throw the latter into prison with the intention of executing him. However, partisans of Michael assassinated Leo in church on Christmas Day 820, vacating the throne to be assumed by Michael II.

Follis, Constantinople, 813.  Leo alone. 6.28 gr. 24.3 mm. 6hr. Sear 1629 (this coin); DO 6; BM 6; T. 12; R. 1795

Follis, Constantinople, 813-820. Leo with Constantine. 6.23 gr. 23.2 mm. 6h. Sear 1630; DO 7c; BM 7-11; BNP 2-8; R. 1800-01; T. 16-19

Follis, Syracuse, 813-820. Leo with Constantine. 4.14 gr. 22.7 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1635; DO 19a; BNP 1-7; BM 22-25; R. 1803-04; T. 22-23. The obverse is anepigraphic, but the reverse is signed with the initials of the 2 co-rulers: Λ Κ.

Follis, Syracuse, 813-820. Leo with Constantine. 2.55 gr. 19.2 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1638; DO 16; BM 36-37; T. 25-26.

5 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Michael I alone:

and with Theophylactus:

Prior to this, it seems the loros was typically reserved for the senior emperor, but on this coin Mike wears a chlamys and Theo the loros.

I don't have any Syracusan types for this emperor.

Wow! Those are wonderful!

Michael I Rangave, emperor (811–13). During the reign of Nikephoros, Michael held the dignity of kouropalates, a high ranking official responsible for construction and order in the palace. He accompanied Nikephoros in his catastrophic defeat against the Bulgarians, but unlike his emperor, he was not destined to become a piece of Krum’s tableware. Michael became emperor on 2 Oct. 811, when the dying Staurakios abdicated in his favor. On 25 Dec. 811, he raised his son Theophylaktos to the throne as his co-Augustus.

Despite the responsibilities of his previous role as kouropalates, the historian Theophanes writes of him that he was  “Completely honest and equitable but incapable of managing matters.” Michael reversed his predecessor’s unpopular fiscal policies, spending lavishly on churches, monasteries, and various charities.  As will be seen below, he rejected the claims of Charlemagne  to the imperial title, which had been conferred on him when Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king imperator Romanorum on 25 Dec. 800 in Rome.

His continuation of Nikephoros’ wars against the Bulgars was a failure and ultimately led to his downfall. He abdicated in favor of Leo V on 11 July 813. His son and co-ruler Theophylaktos was mutilated along with his other sons, and Michael became a monk on the Princes' Islands, taking the name Athanasios.

Because we have been focusing on the portraits of the βασιλείς Ῥωμαίων, I’ve not shown any miliaresia, of which I am very fond. But a very significant feature appears on the denomination under Michael I. Prior to Michael, the legends on the miliaresia end with the phrase: bASILIS (emperors). Until the “upstart” Charlemagne was crowned Imperator Romanorum in Rome on 25 Dec. 800, the single word sufficed to stress that the only emperor was that in Constantinople. To emphasize their point, after 812 the Byzantines now consistently refer to their ruler as basileus of the Rhomaioi. Charlemagne was grudgingly regarded as emperor only of the Franks.

Miliaresion, Constantinople, 811-13. 2.12 gr. 22.3 mm . 12 hr. Sear 1616; DO 3; BNP 1-3; BM 2-3; R. 1792; T. 4

Grierson, in the Dumbarton Oaks catalog, does not recognize the 2 classes of Constantinopolitan folles as belonging to Michael I; he would place them in the reign of Michael II. He explains his reasons on pp. 364-65 of DOC 3:1, for those who wish to read them.

Follis, Constantinople, 811 . 5.11 gr. 23.1 mm . 6hr.  Sear 1617;DO 7 (Michael II); BM p. 406 (Michael I); T. 5 (Michael I); R. 1789. The basileus is here alone, without his son.

Follis, Constantinople, 811-813 . 5.14 gr. 23.3 mm . 6 hr. Sear 1618; DO 8 (Michael II);  BNP 1; BM 4-6. Father and son both appear as co-Augusti on the obverse.

Follis, Syracuse, 811. 2.62 gr. 18 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1624; DO 9; BNP, p. 505; BM 20-21 (Michael III); T. 5 (Michael II); R. 1848 (Michael III). Issued before the proclamation of Theophylaktos as co-Augustus in Dec. 811, this series bears the portrait of Michael on both obverse and reverse. Curiously, his reverse portrait is beardless; this likely follows a convention of placing the junior emperor on the reverse.

Follis, Syracuse, 811-13. 2.16 gr. 17 mm. 6 hr. Sear 1625; DO 10; BM 12; R. 1793. Similar to the previous coin, Michael’s portrait appears on the obverse, while here, his son, who is named, occupies the reverse.

2 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Krum's mug!

With Stauracius (my best portraits):

and my Syracuse example:

Great examples, @Severus Alexander! Love them!

4 hours ago, voulgaroktonou said:

@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....)

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.

23 minutes ago, Hrefn said:

Merely a reiteration of @voulgaroktonou’s usual scholarly exposition above, but I am excited to be back in the game.

Does anyone know the meaning of the X (or Chi) at the conclusion of the inscription on the reverse?  

@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 9^th. 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.

6 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Cramming two slots into one post again!  Here's a rare Constantine V half follis, SB 1559, similar to the 1558 posted above except he's holding a cross potent instead of globus cruciger:

 

I'd love to get one with the double portrait (with Leo IV)... the very last half follis issued with the K symbol. Very cool, @voulgaroktonou!

Here's my Syracuse for Constantine V:

The coin above shows Leo IV as junior emperor, here he is as senior with the whole family:

^ This coin has some of my best portraits from the period. (ex Christov family collection)

Beautiful examples, @Severus Alexander!

3 hours ago, Nerosmyfavorite68 said:

I just now purchased two.  I don't want to jinx them; I'll go into detail when I get them in-hand.  One matches an EBCC type, the other I wasn't able to find.

The e-book, Early Byzantine Copper Coins, https://www.byzantine-ae.info/   .  Covers them (had to add a period to make the underlining stop).  The Syrian mint mainly has cf. SB 805 busts, albeit with mintmarks of Theup and variations, variations of Nikomedia, etc.

This is the first time that I have seen any in person, although they are probably floating around, as Arab-Byzantine.

I've used EBCC mostly for more obscure types. It seems to be mainly pictures, with little to no description other than weight.  Did I miss something?

@voulgaroktonou  @Simon , any other Byzantine collectors, do you have any information about this obscure mint?

 

@Nerosmyfavorite68, did you earlier send me a photograph of this? I was going to respond to you, but as usual, too many things intervened and the matter fled my mind. I am sorry. If you'll resend it, I will try harder!

All kindest regards,

Mike

 

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.

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.

9 hours ago, Hrefn said:

Must preface my submission with kudos to @voulgaroktonou.

My offering is short and sweet.  Further, I am only going to feature one side of each of these two solidi.  Beyond that, one of these coins shows Leo III alive, while on the other coin, he is dead!  Dead, I say!   Ah-Ha-Ha, ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!! 

Ahem, where were we?  

Um, yes.  The coin on the left was struck while Leo III was alive, and he is featured on the obverse as is customary.   The coin on the right was struck by his successor, son, and fellow iconoclast Constantine V.  This worthy placed his own portrait and that of his son on the obverse of his solidus, but this left him in a quandary.  Whom to put on the reverse?  As an iconoclast, the innovation of placing Jesus there was unavailable.  How about dear deceased Dad?

Thus we find the recently departed loros-clad Leo III on the reverse (featured) of the second solidus.  The reverse of solidus 1 and the obverse of solidus 2 must wait until later.

 

 

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

12 minutes ago, Severus Alexander said:

@voulgaroktonou's museum-quality display of Leo III coins is an impossible act to follow, of course! Yet the show much go on...

My two best Leo III portraits (from during his reign - an important proviso) are on a couple of folles. This first one, from Constantinople (with Constantine V on the reverse), is tiny:

The coin is only 17.5mm (and 3.3g)... even smaller (though perhaps better produced) than at its worst under Constans II.

This Syracuse equivalent is somewhat bigger, at 20mm, though only weighing 2.74g. Production values are low, but I like the portrait:

I'm not sure which is my favourite portrait of the two.

I have only one coin of Leo from before the elevation of Constantine V in 720, an example of SB 1513A:

Yes, it's a piece of junk. 😄 BUT these are very rare, usually crappy (voulgaroktonou's example above is stellar for the type)... and it only cost me 2 quid at auction!  Apparently I was the only one who bothered to ID it. 👍

Finally, I do have a damaged miliaresion of Artavasdus:

Collecting this period on a small budget is challenging, to say the least!  One must be prepared to put up with coins that lack, well, pretty much any redeeming qualities! 😄 

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

2 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

Your follis (SB 1515) appears to be an overstrike… have you been able to figure out the undertype, @voulgaroktonou?

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 6^th 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 6^th 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.

6 hours ago, Hrefn said:

Phillipicus    AD 711-713.  Solidus of Constantinople 

Phillipicus was one of the more disastrous emperors.  He was detailed to the Chersonese by Justinian II to deal with matters there.  Instead, he made common cause with Cherson and overthrew Justinian II.  He had the emperor and his son Tiberius slain.  Phillipicus was a monothelite who alienated the Pope and deposed the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyrus, in favor of his own candidate.  The Bulgars raided up to the walls of Constantinople and when the emperor diverted troops from the East to oppose them, the Muslims made progress in the East capturing several cities.  He was overthrown by the military.   

This coin marks the last appearance of the scipio, the eagle-topped consular scepter.  4.41 grams. Berk-204.  Purchased from Harlan Berk 3/2001 

 

A beauty!

1 hour ago, Valentinian said:

Wow! That must be the finest extant. It is incomparably better than the DOC, Hahn MIB III, Grierson, and Berk/England coins. Whitting and the BN don't illustrate one. D'Andrea et a. 725a is bold, but much smaller and missing the left branch (tooled off while smothing?). This coin is the one that comes up first under Sear 1496 at
https://coins.labarum.info/en/catalog
The coin is amazing! 

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

19 hours ago, Severus Alexander said:

I guess @Valentinian is right and I should have included both Leontius and Tiberius III in the same time slot... I will be posting them together. 🙂 Three coins of Leontius and three of Tiberius, for a total of five. Ah... you think my math is faulty?

I have both a full follis and a half for Leontius, with the better portrait probably being on the half:

The full is one-eyed:

Neither portrait is much to write home about.

My third Leontius is also a Tiberius III, and indeed my favourite portrait of the latter.  It's an overstrike, of course: SB 1366 over top of SB 1334. (Thus my weird math.) The loros of Leontius is clearly visible on the reverse:

My next Tib III, a year 1, is a bit rough, but I like the portrait's style:

Finally, I have one of the standing types that we also saw from quant.geek and voulgaroktonou:

I believe these are pretty scarce. It might be my nicest Tiberius III coin; his military dress is particularly clear.

Great to see you join the thread, @quant.geek!  You have some stellar examples, as usual. Between you and @voulgaroktonou our gallery of AE will be fabulous!

Voulgaroktonou, I love that overstrike on the Maximianus.  I happen to have an overstrike from the same time period and similar vicinity... a generic Syrian Umayyad fals (Album 153) over a Licinius AE3 from Ticinum. The Licinius portrait and Sol undertype are pretty obvious in this image with the reverse rotated:

As you can see, there are bits of the Roman legend visible too. There's enough of the coin underneath that I was able to pin it down: RIC VII 4 (Ticinum).

So I did post 6 coins after all. 😄 

That's a wonderful overstrike!