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1/4 Siliqua In the name of Justin II, Closed staurogram without dot below
| Issuer | Lombard Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 568-690 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A closed staurogram (Christogram cross with rho element) at center, with a small six-pointed star in the lower left and lower right fields flanking the base of the cross. The entire device is enclosed within a wreath border composed of stylized laurel or olive branches tied at the base. The reverse design is unlettered and follows the standard Lombard quarter-siliqua type struck in imitation of Byzantine ecclesiastical symbolism, with no dot below the cross arm distinguishing this as the closed staurogram variety. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Lombards entered Italy in 568 under Alboin, displacing Byzantine authority across much of the peninsula yet initially lacking the administrative infrastructure — or perhaps the ambition — to strike coins in their own names. Issuing fractions in the name of the reigning Eastern emperor was the practical solution, conferring a veneer of legitimacy on a kingdom that Rome had never invited. Justin II, whose actual reign ended in 578, remained the named authority on Lombard silver for well over a century after his death.
The closed staurogram variant without dot below is the detail that places this piece within the typological sequence established by MEC I.