coin

Coinage in the Byzantine Empire

Inspiring many features of these transient coinages, but outliving them all, stood the currency of the Byzantine Empire. It was based on the gold solidus (¹/₇₂ of a pound) of Constantine—the bezant of 4.5 grams (about 70 grains) maximum, which dominated so much of European trade to the 13th century. Until the 10th century, halves and thirds were also used. This gold was proverbial for its purity until the 10th century. The fundamentally religious nature of the empire was fully reflected in the coinage: throughout 10 centuries there was scarcely a single issue that did not look directly to the Christian faith, since apart from reverse types and legends, which were purely religious, the obverses showed the emperors as specifically Christian rulers by the use of adjuncts or appropriate inscriptions.

Byzantine coinage began effectively with the reign (491–518) of Anastasius I. Thenceforth, it consisted, in addition to gold, of silver and bronze. Silver, always rather rare, consisted of the small siliqua (¹/₂₄ of a solidus) or keration, followed by the larger miliaresion and the still larger hexagram. Bronze was in most periods very commonly struck. Its appearance and ... (200 of 32,716 words)