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1 Solidus In the name of Anastasius I
| Issuer | Uncertain Germanic tribes |
|---|---|
| Year | 501-600 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Solidus |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | D N ANASTA - SIVS PP AVG (Translation: Dominus Noster Anastasius Perpetuus Augustus Our Lord, Anastasius, perpetual August) |
| Reverse description | Winged Victory standing facing left, holding a long jeweled cross in her right hand and a globus cruciger in her left, depicted in a stylized Germanic interpretation of the standard Byzantine solidus reverse type. The figure retains the general compositional elements of the Constantinople prototype but with simplified, somewhat abstracted rendering of drapery and wings. The exergue bears the mint mark CONOB, a direct borrowing from the Constantinople gold coinage signifying refined gold. A dotted border frames the design. The overall execution reflects a Germanic workshop imitating late Roman imperial gold coinage in the name of Anastasius I. |
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| Additional information |
Barbarian imitations of Byzantine solidi proliferated across the post-Roman West as Germanic successor states lacked both the monetary infrastructure and, initially, the political legitimacy to strike coinage in their own names. Issuing gold in the name of a reigning or recently deceased emperor was a pragmatic solution — it guaranteed acceptance in trade networks still calibrated to Byzantine weight standards.
Anastasius I reformed the Byzantine coinage system in 498, stabilizing the solidus at a fineness that made it the dominant trade currency across the Mediterranean for generations. The imitations it inspired vary enormously in execution, from near-mint-quality Ostrogothic products to crude Frankish copies struck from dies cut by craftsmen working purely from worn exemplars.