Tiberius II Constantine reigned during a period of sustained military pressure on two fronts simultaneously — the Avars and Slavs pushing hard across the Danube, and the Sassanid Persians grinding through the eastern provinces. His treasury was strained enough that he reportedly depleted the surpluses accumulated by Justin II, financing mercenary forces and frontier defense at considerable cost. The 20 Nummi, as a fractional bronze, would have been the coin most ordinary residents of Constantinople actually handled daily.
DOC I #17 places this type firmly at the Constantinople mint, distinguished from provincial issues by die alignment and fabric characteristics specific to that workshop.
Tiberius II Constantine reigned during a period of sustained military pressure on two fronts simultaneously — the Avars and Slavs pushing hard across the Danube, and the Sassanid Persians grinding through the eastern provinces. His treasury was strained enough that he reportedly depleted the surpluses accumulated by Justin II, financing mercenary forces and frontier defense at considerable cost. The 20 Nummi, as a fractional bronze, would have been the coin most ordinary residents of Constantinople actually handled daily.
DOC I #17 places this type firmly at the Constantinople mint, distinguished from provincial issues by die alignment and fabric characteristics specific to that workshop.