The Assarion, a history in Late Byzantine Coin Studies.

[Simon]

I chose to post this tonight since the new Byzantine portrait thread will take a few months to get to the later Years. The city of Constantinople existed from its inauguration until its final fall a total of 1,123 years and 18 days. This thread pertains to its final years.

Because the study of late Byzantine coinage is so new (Became a focus in the 1960s), a real hindrance in its study is keeping the denomination names straight. As studies progress so do the changes in denomination names.  A great example of this is the Assarion.

Assarion is an interesting denomination, thinner, lighter and bigger than its predecessor the tetarteron, the assarion was a return to Roman named coinage representing the smallest, it first appears in Andronicus II reign Introduced around 1294 and ceased to be minted in the 1350’s. About 30 different types of coins for its 60-year life.

Andronicus II-Michael IX SBCV-2435 Assarion

The first modern book usage of the Byzantine term Assarion seems to be done by Phillip Grierson in 1982, in his catalog “Byzantine coins”, however, he does not cite the contemporary document that used that name, but he does give an excellent explanation on where the name comes from. The New Testament. Biblical reference Matt 10:29 “Are not two Sparrows sold for an Assarion?”

So before his catalog in 1982, the same coin ( Assarion) was called a tetarteron. In earlier catalogs, authors such as Simon Bendall and David Metcalf using the title tetarteron. In an interesting note Whiting held back, In his 1973 book he felt a study in the post 1204 coinage needed to focused on much as Michael Hendy had done in his work on the 12^th century.

Andronicus III SBCV-2494 Assarion

In trying to understand the time period, we have to compile as much information as possible from the people who studied the coins before us. The flat copper coins of the late Byzantine Empire are a perfect example of how difficult this can be. In the earliest coin catalogs and articles, the coins are called just that, small flat copper coinage, that makes some sense especially since the rest of the copper coinage were concaved coins that had been introduced in mass in 1092.

This changes with Michael Hendy work in 1969 DOC 12. In pre 1969 articles, the 12^th century tetarteron was called a follis, literature written after that, tetarteron was found to be the contemporary name. This was from the writings of a crusader who was given some of these new coins.

To add to the confusion this flat coins coin’s name existed in all metals, pre-Alexius coin reform of 1092 it was a gold coin, then a silver coin. After the coin reform it existed in three different metals, lead, billion and copper. This adds to the confusion when studying the denomination, however the problem continues when looking at the even later coinage, the Assarion.

The difference is obvious when looking at a 12^th century tetarteron but not as much when looking at a late tetarteron.

Anonymous (Magn.) AE Tetarteron – SBCV-2154 DOC IV 6 Type D

OBV Cross radiate, with lunate ornaments, decorated with pellets , at ends.

REV Half length figure of Virgin, nimbate, orans wearing tunic.

Size 20mm

Weight 2.61gm

DOC lists 4 examples. weight vary 1.32gm to 2.52gm and 19 to 22mm

 One thing Grierson mentions In his Byzantine coins book is that the issues of the assarion were almost too numerous to count (Not by image but by legends), regional dates began to reappear on this denomination.  The coin was continued to be minted into the mid 14^th century, then it was replaced by two other copper flat coins tornesi (Issued under same name as AE and Billion. But two different denominations) and follari, both of these coins are considerably different much smaller than the assarion, By the way, the names of these coins are Latin, we have no idea what they were known by their minters. The reason we know the Latin names is merchants had compiled surviving lists that contained the rate of exchange between denominations. Eastern Roman literature on the subject of the small denominations is sparce.

These posting mentions some of the hurdles of studying the coinage of the late Eastern Roman Empire and for those of us that are trying to fill in the blanks of that period of numismatics. It is also a reason many collectors focus on this field, the need for new knowledge of this field is just beginning.

I do not have nice examples of Tornese, Follaro and any of the other lower denominations that circulated in the empire at that time. I invite some of the more focused collectors of that time period to share their knowledge and their coins. It would be very helpful to new collectors and old, to gain more insight on the time period. @seth77 @Glebe @TheTrachyEnjoyer, and any others who I failed to mention. 

Edited June 2, 2023 by Simon
Added Assarion to SBCV-2494

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

Very interesting and informative!  I have few post-1200 Byzantine coins.

[Zimm]

9 hours ago, Simon said:

I chose to post this tonight since the new Byzantine portrait thread will take a few months to get to the later Years. The city of Constantinople existed from its inauguration until its final fall a total of 1,123 years and 18 days. This thread pertains to its final years.

Because the study of late Byzantine coinage is so new (Became a focus in the 1960s), a real hindrance in its study is keeping the denomination names straight. As studies progress so do the changes in denomination names.  A great example of this is the Assarion.

Assarion is an interesting denomination, thinner, lighter and bigger than its predecessor the tetarteron, the assarion was a return to Roman named coinage representing the smallest, it first appears in Andronicus II reign Introduced around 1294 and ceased to be minted in the 1350’s. About 30 different types of coins for its 60-year life.

Andronicus II-Michael IX SBCV-2435 Assarion

The first modern book usage of the Byzantine term Assarion seems to be done by Phillip Grierson in 1982, in his catalog “Byzantine coins”, however, he does not cite the contemporary document that used that name, but he does give an excellent explanation on where the name comes from. The New Testament. Biblical reference Matt 10:29 “Are not two Sparrows sold for an Assarion?”

So before his catalog in 1982, the same coin ( Assarion) was called a tetarteron. In earlier catalogs, authors such as Simon Bendall and David Metcalf using the title tetarteron. In an interesting note Whiting held back, In his 1973 book he felt a study in the post 1204 coinage needed to focused on much as Michael Hendy had done in his work on the 12^th century.

Andronicus III SBCV-2494

In trying to understand the time period, we have to compile as much information as possible from the people who studied the coins before us. The flat copper coins of the late Byzantine Empire are a perfect example of how difficult this can be. In the earliest coin catalogs and articles, the coins are called just that, small flat copper coinage, that makes some sense especially since the rest of the copper coinage were concaved coins that had been introduced in mass in 1092.

This changes with Michael Hendy work in 1969 DOC 12. In pre 1969 articles, the 12^th century tetarteron was called a follis, literature written after that, tetarteron was found to be the contemporary name. This was from the writings of a crusader who was given some of these new coins.

To add to the confusion this flat coins coin’s name existed in all metals, pre-Alexius coin reform of 1092 it was a gold coin, then a silver coin. After the coin reform it existed in three different metals, lead, billion and copper. This adds to the confusion when studying the denomination, however the problem continues when looking at the even later coinage, the Assarion.

The difference is obvious when looking at a 12^th century tetarteron but not as much when looking at a late tetarteron.

Anonymous (Magn.) AE Tetarteron – SBCV-2154 DOC IV 6 Type D

OBV Cross radiate, with lunate ornaments, decorated with pellets , at ends.

REV Half length figure of Virgin, nimbate, orans wearing tunic.

Size 20mm

Weight 2.61gm

DOC lists 4 examples. weight vary 1.32gm to 2.52gm and 19 to 22mm

 One thing Grierson mentions In his Byzantine coins book is that the issues of the assarion were almost too numerous to count (Not by image but by legends), regional dates began to reappear on this denomination.  The coin was continued to be minted into the mid 14^th century, then it was replaced by two other copper flat coins tornesi (Issued under same name as AE and Billion. But two different denominations) and follari, both of these coins are considerably different much smaller than the assarion, By the way, the names of these coins are Latin, we have no idea what they were known by their minters. The reason we know the Latin names is merchants had compiled surviving lists that contained the rate of exchange between denominations. Eastern Roman literature on the subject of the small denominations is sparce.

These posting mentions some of the hurdles of studying the coinage of the late Eastern Roman Empire and for those of us that are trying to fill in the blanks of that period of numismatics. It is also a reason many collectors focus on this field, the need for new knowledge of this field is just beginning.

I do not have nice examples of Tornese, Follaro and any of the other lower denominations that circulated in the empire at that time. I invite some of the more focused collectors of that time period to share their knowledge and their coins. It would be very helpful to new collectors and old, to gain more insight on the time period. @seth77 @Glebe @TheTrachyEnjoyer, and any others who I failed to mention. 

Thank you for the great write-up as always, those are very nice examples, especially the anonymous Magnesian tetarteron. I've been meaning to purchase the types you shared for a while now, but have just never ended up finding examples that I liked (or that fit into my budget).

Sadly, the flat coins tend to often be very worn, with the faces and finer details having been worn away, especially for the later coins. I don't own that many great examples myself, but I do have a few types I enjoy. Here are some of my favourite examples of each denomination: 

Alexius I & John II -  Pb Tetarteron - Thessalonica - Sear:-, DOC 37

(Ex. Gorny & Mosch 200, 2011)

Obv. John on the right, bearded, wearing stemma, divetesion, collar-piece, and loros, holding akakia in left hand, holding onto shaft of labarum with right hand, St. Demetrius on the left, nimbate, wearing military tunic, breastplate, and sagion, holding onto sword with right hand, holding onto shaft of labarum right hand, ΔΜΙΤΡ - Ιω ΔΕϹΠΟΤ

Rev. Alexius on the left left, bearded, wearing stemma, divetesion, collar-piece and loros, holding right hand on chest, holding onto shaft of long cross with left hand, Irene on the right, similarly dressed, holding left hand on chest, holding onto shaft of long cross with right hand, inscription obscured

 

I guess this may be a bit too early of a type to share given it's from before 1204, but I find it a fascinating type regardless. It was issued in 1092/1093 in commemoration of John II's coronation as co-emperor alongside his father, Alexius I, and was seemingly the first tetarteron type ever issued. Due to the copper shortage experienced around that time, it was stuck in lead instead of copper, to which the mint of Thessalonica would switch for (most) subsequent Thessalonican tetartera.

Andronicus II & Michael IX - AE Assarion - Constantinople - Sear 2440

Obv. +ΑVΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΕϹ ΡωΜΑΙΟωΝ

Obv. Andronicus II on the left, bearded, wearing stemma, divetesion, collar-piece and loros, holding cruciform sceptre in right hand, holding onto shaft of labarum with left hand, Michael IX on the right, similarly clothed, holding cruciform sceptre in left hand, holding onto shaft of labarum with right hand, inscription obscured

 

There isn't really much to say about the coin. It's one of the most common assarion types there is, but since the emperors still have a fair few facial features that haven't been worn away, I thought I'd share it.

John V(?) & Uncertain Emperor - Billon Tornese - Constantinople - Sear:-, DOC:-, PCPC 367

(Ex. NAC 75, 2013, John V & Manuel II(?))

Obv. Cross within double border within legend, pellets in each quarter, +ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΝ

Rev. Uncertain imperial figure left, bearded, wearing stemma, divetesion, collar-piece and loros, holding right hand on chest, holding onto shaft of long cross with left hand, uncertain imperial figure right, bearded, similarly clothed, holding left hand on chest, holding onto shaft of long cross with right hand, uncertain legend

 

This type is quite a perplexing one. As far as I could find, the only other example of the type is housed in the Ashmolean (originating from the Bendall Collection). The reverse of the type is misdescribed both in PCPC and LBC (due to the left side of the reverse being obscured), stating that the reverse has St. Demetrius crowning an imperial figure on the right, which my example disproves. Curiously enough it was assigned to John V & Manuel II by Bendall in the NAC 75 auction, but as the legends are hard to make sense of, I haven't been able to confirm the attribution. Below I've attached the Ashmolean/Bendall example of the type.

What is however certain is that it's a very late type. Bendall, in his book, remarks that the type may very well be one of the last Politikon issues due to the lower weight and inferior silver content it has in comparison to the other Politikon tornesi, though it should be noted that the theory can neither be verified nor disproven without legends or hoard finds, however logical it may be. (Ashmolean example: 16mm, 0.29g, My example: 17mm, 0.57g)

John VIII - AE Follaro - Constantinople - Sear 2568

Obv. Full-length figure of Christ, bearded, nimbate, in mandorla, IC - XC

Rev. Full-length figure of John, bearded, wearing stemma, divetesion, collar-piece and loros, holding cruciform sceptre in right hand, Iω

 

There isn't really much I have to say about the coin. It has the same crude style most examples of the type have and is equally worn. Thankfully the legend on the left-hand side of the reverse was preserved, allowing for confident identification of the type.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Zimm

[Celator]

I don't have any information to add, other than I would like to acquire all of these denominations including the stamenon.

Andronicus II/Michael IX
Constantinople
1295 to 1320 AD
AE Assarion
Obvs: AVTOK IC XC PωMЄON, Andronicus and Michael on either side of Christ who crowns the emperors.
Revs: Half-length figure of Archangel Michael w/scepter
18x20mm, 2.06g
Ref: DOC 677-680, Sear 2435

[seth77]

I like this type:

[Simon]

23 hours ago, Celator said:

I don't have any information to add, other than I would like to acquire all of these denominations including the stamenon.

This is a also a questionable term again appearing in the discussion on different terms being used for coinage. The stamenon seems to be a term for concaved coinage. In DOC V Grierson seems to use the term interchangeable between trachy and stamenon. 

In Lianta she makes an interesting table but it does not seem to be universally accepted.  Here is a newer listing in DOC website. A 12th century trachy listed as a stamenon. Now perhaps she is listing the Stamenon as a non billion trachy? ( If so would that not include the Latin issues?)

Manuel I Komnenos, Billon, Stamenon, Constantinople, circa 1160-1164? — Dumbarton Oaks (doaks.org)

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Simon

[Simon]

I am stuck on these two. 

 

The first I do not know if it is an assarion or a trachy/stamenon . It is slightly concaved.   , so that pointed me towards Lianta 837 but the emperor has a scroll or sword in his right hand.

 

This one is an Assarion, the reverse is a jumble in my eyes, joint rule but can someone see something I am not. Any help is appreciated.

Legend or mongram. I am uncertain. 

 

The reverse flipped. 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Simon
adding reverse different view.

[Zimm]

11 hours ago, Simon said:

I am stuck on these two. 

 

The first I do not know if it is an assarion or a trachy/stamenon . It is slightly concaved.   , so that pointed me towards Lianta 837 but the emperor has a scroll or sword in his right hand.

 

This one is an Assarion, the reverse is a jumble in my eyes, joint rule but can someone see something I am not. Any help is appreciated.

Legend or mongram. I am uncertain. 

 

The reverse flipped. 

I believe the first coin is Sear 2377 of Andronicus II, with St. Demetrius on the obverse. I think I may see his shield near the bottom right corner of the obverse. The second coin seems to be Sear 2440 of Andronicus II & Michael IX. You can just barely make out that the obverse is supposed to be a legend in four lines.

[Simon]

2 hours ago, Zimm said:

I believe the first coin is Sear 2377 of Andronicus II, with St. Demetrius on the obverse. I think I may see his shield near the bottom right corner of the obverse

Thank You @Zimm, I believe you are correct. I saw the shield, but I was checking Lianta, this coin had one similar LI 837 but no akaia in hand. I will try to find a match in her book too. 

3 hours ago, Zimm said:

 The second coin seems to be Sear 2440 of Andronicus II & Michael IX. You can just barely make out that the obverse is supposed to be a legend in four lines.

Thank You on this as well, I first saw a legend but when you stare at it too long it becomes a man on a horse. 

I am really started to get hooked on this series, finding nice examples is a pain. 

Best Wishes,

 

Simon

[Glebe]

Sear 2377 (= Lianta 678, DOC 786-8) is a common type but decent examples are hard to find - here is a reasonable copy.

Ross

[Simon]

Thank you Ross, I realize both are subpar, It is nice to see what  it should like. 

[Simon]

After sourcing through several coin books of the period I finally found out where the names Stamenon and Assarion came from. The information is in Michael Hendys The Byzantine Monetary economy  300-1450 

The other books I checked ( DOC V, Bendall, Lianta and Grierson) used the names but not uniformly, and none of them mentioned the source of the names. Hendy included the information in the book. 

Stamenon  ( Stamina) was a nickname for a trachy since the time of Manuel Comnenus. It was a vulgar term but it seemed to become a popular term with the Latins and not the Greeks. Discussed in Hendy pg 514 

Assarion i( Assaria) is mentioned in the works of Byzantine mathematician but it is not clear if that was the usage name, it does appear in several documents but Hendy was not convinced that was the common name for the coin BUT he felt it acceptable to use until we knew more. 

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Simon