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1/2 Siliqua - Anastasius I Dicorus Uncertain Mint
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 491-518 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A large, bold Greek letter tau (T) occupies the central field of the reverse, rendered in a clean, upright style within a plain circular border or shallow incuse field. The tau serves as a numeral denoting 300 nummi, equivalent to one half-siliqua, functioning as the denomination mark on this fractional silver issue. The field surrounding the tau is flat and largely devoid of additional decoration, consistent with the minimalist reverse design common to Byzantine fractional silver of the late fifth and early sixth centuries. The flan edges are irregular, typical of hammered coinage from an uncertain provincial or metropolitan mint. |
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| Mintage | ND (491-518) - Uncertain Mint |
| Additional information |
Anastasius I inherited a debased and chaotic currency system from Zeno and undertook one of the most consequential monetary reforms in Byzantine history — but that reform, enacted in 498 AD, focused almost entirely on the copper coinage. The silver denominations, including the half siliqua, were never rationalized with the same rigor, leaving them struck at scattered, often unidentified facilities across the eastern empire throughout his reign.
The uncertain mint attribution on these pieces remains genuinely unresolved. Candidates include Antioch and Thessalonica, but die studies have not produced consensus.