Byzantine portrait thread, a very late addendum

[Hrefn]

I have fond memories of the formidable “Epic Byzantine Portrait Thread“ which was the brainchild of the Pious and Clement Emperor @Severus Alexander.   It certainly rewards those who revisit it, as it is replete with great coins and historical information naturally organized into a logical, and chronological order.  

 

Of course, Heraclitus said one could never step into the same river twice, although one might sometimes wish to, and similarly, that thread reached its end.  At the time, I lamented the lacunae in my collection which prevented me from posting when some of the more obscure emperors were featured.   

One of those gaps in my collection has since been filled.  There is no way to go back in time to insert this emperor in his appropriate place in the EBPT so here he is.  

Artemius Anastasius, or Anastasius II,  whose short 15 month reign was from AD 713-715.  He succeeded Phillipicus, who had alienated many of the Byzantines because of his Monophysite beliefs.  Additionally, Phillipicus diverted troops from Asia Minor to contest the Bulgarians.  This lead to Moslem gains in the East, and contributed to discontent with Phillipicus’ rule leading to his deposition.  

Artemius Anastasius restored an Orthodox patriarch to Constantinople and attempted to shore up the empire’s military situation.  One of the generals he sent against the Moslems in Syria was Leo, later Leo III.  Anastasius also worked to secure Rhodes, but a troop revolt there resulted in the death of the Admiral.  The troops then supported Theodosius III for emperor, who was successful in overthrowing Anastasius.  

Anastasius survived this political change in fortune.  Theodosius was soon overthrown by Leo III.  A few years later, Anastasius made another bid for the throne, allying with the Bulgarians.  But Leo convinced the Bulgarians to hand Anastasius over to him, and then executed him.  

This coin came from an Artemide auction without any provenance, where it hammered for 800 euro. I found a prior sale from UBS Gold and Silver in 2007.  The coin is easily identified by the epsilon graffito in the obverse field.  It hammered then for 670 Swiss Francs.   I think it is interesting that this coin has not appreciated in price significantly in 18 years.  The graffito does not really bother me, and I suspect it allowed me to acquire a rare emperor comparatively inexpensively .  

 

[ela126]

@Hrefn lovely portrait.and certainly ample enough legend as well. I find some extreme difficulty with the bronzes of this period. 
 

the price you paid seems like a steal, I barely noticed the graffito until I saw your mention of it. I have seen a few (or possibbly the same) hexagram exchange hands a few times recently, for equal or bigger money, maybe that’s what’s en vogue right now.

i also lament the end of the excellent thread, i only found this website 2/3 the way through, and ive increased my collection a bit since that time. Alas I don’t think such a thread would be topped if it were redone. 

[Hrefn]

9 hours ago, ela126 said:

the price you paid seems like a steal

The Anastasius Artemius was not my primary target in this auction.  The coin I was after, and for which I bid aggressively was this Ostrogothic solidus of Theodoric.

As I sometimes do, I placed a low bid on the Anastasius Artemius because it was an emperor I was lacking, and I hoped to buy one at some time in the future.  The bid was more for tracking purposes than a serious attempt to win.  It is interesting to speculate why the bid was successful.  My guess is that the market for the solidi of obscure Byzantine emperors is rather thin, and the collectors who pursue them have significant financial means.  Perhaps they would prefer to pay 3 or 4 times as much for specimen without graffiti.  

As for me, any gold coin of Anastasius Artemius is more than welcome, and the graffito does not decrease my satisfaction at all.   Perhaps the scratches are runes.   Othala Algiz for Property Protection?  AD 715 is a bit early for the Varangians in Constantinople.

 

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

The 800 price was a great one!  It's a nice coin and the graffito isn't bad, and is a part of the coin's history.  It's also an emperor missing from my collection. 

[rasiel]

800 EUR?? You made out like a bandit 🥂

Paid $3,800 for mine. Wallet still sizzling.

Rasiel

[Knbollen]

Here is one of mine.  4.48g.