Research team claims coin of Constantine IX may show the supernova explosion of A.D. 1054

[Roman Collector]

There is a fascinating article in LiveScience about a study published in the August 2022 issue of the European Journal of Science and Theology.

A team of researchers analyzed a series of four Byzantine gold coins minted during the reign of Constantine IX, from A.D. 1042 to 1055. While three of the coins showed only one star, the authors suggest that the fourth coin — which shows two bright stars framing an image of the emperor's head — may be a subtle, and possibly heretical depiction of the supernova of 1054.

According to the team's interpretation, the emperor's head may represent the sun, the eastern star represents Venus — a regularly visible daytime object also called the "morning star" — while the western star represents SN 1054, which was visible for nearly a month in the daytime sky opposite Venus. The team adds that the two stars may also represent the warring Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches, which split from each other during an event called the Great Schism in July of 1054.

[kirispupis]

No offense, but this post reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. 🙂 

 

 

[Curtis JJ]

13 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

No offense, but this post reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. 🙂

In that case I better post my Istros Drachm Triptychs again! (Also, since it's about TWO Supernovae, I do think it's kinda fitting that we would discuss it twice!)

 

QUOTING MYSELF:

• .... this reminds me of the 2005 article in the Journal for the History of Astronomy about the Istros inverted heads representing a solar eclipse! (Who even knew that such a journal existed -- much less that it would've made it to volume 36 and beyond!!!)

  [Saslow, W. & P. Murdin, “The double heads of Istrus: the oldest eclipse on a coin?” JHA 36, Part 1, No. 122, pp. 21 - 27]

Edited September 12, 2022 by Curtis JJ

[Dwarf]

Fascinating how a team of researchers found a text which David Sear wrote in 1974

Regards
Klaus

Edit:
I just checked Philip Grierson's DOC-catalogue written in 1973, who thinks that this is probable.
The theory as such is much older

Edited September 12, 2022 by Dwarf

[Al Kowsky]

15 hours ago, Dwarf said:

Fascinating how a team of researchers found a text which David Sear wrote in 1974

Regards
Klaus

Edit:
I just checked Philip Grierson's DOC-catalogue written in 1973, who thinks that this is probable.
The theory as such is much older

Dwarf / Klaus, Many thanks for the research & copy from Davis Sear's important book on Byzantine Coins & Their Values☺️! I've got a copy of Sear's book & never thought of looking there 🙄.

20 hours ago, Roman Collector said:

There is a fascinating article in LiveScience about a study published in the August 2022 issue of the European Journal of Science and Theology.

A team of researchers analyzed a series of four Byzantine gold coins minted during the reign of Constantine IX, from A.D. 1042 to 1055. While three of the coins showed only one star, the authors suggest that the fourth coin — which shows two bright stars framing an image of the emperor's head — may be a subtle, and possibly heretical depiction of the supernova of 1054.

According to the team's interpretation, the emperor's head may represent the sun, the eastern star represents Venus — a regularly visible daytime object also called the "morning star" — while the western star represents SN 1054, which was visible for nearly a month in the daytime sky opposite Venus. The team adds that the two stars may also represent the warring Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic churches, which split from each other during an event called the Great Schism in July of 1054.

R.C. Thanks for the added info ☺️!

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

What an amazing coincidence re: the Sear reference. Certainly a very interesting coin and symbolic apparently. Just to continue on the theme there is a petroglyph perhaps depicting the supernova of 1054 in White Sands National Monument (New Mexico, USA) etched by Native Americans. Also, note that the supernova remnant of 1054 remains visible as the Crab Nebula (Messier 1) in the constellation Taurus, a rapidly expanding cloud of gas from the exploding star. It is visible in modest sized amateur telescopes.