Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
40 Nummi - Justin II and Aelia Sophia Antioch
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 569-578 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First Solidus Nomisma (498-720) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Justin left and Sophia right, seated facing on double-throne, both nimbate, each holding a long sceptre (sometimes topped by a cross) and, between them, a cross on globe. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ☩ M ANNO IIIII tHϵЧP` (Translation: M = 40 (Nummi) ANNO IIIII = Year 5 tHϵЧP` = Theoupolis (Antioch)) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Justin II suffered what contemporaries described as recurring bouts of madness in his later years — possibly porphyria or a neurological collapse — and by 574 had effectively ceded day-to-day administration to his wife Sophia and the general Tiberius. Sophia's prominent placement on coinage throughout this reign was not ceremonial. She exercised genuine authority, negotiating directly with the Sassanid Persians and reportedly talking Justin down from violent episodes in the palace.
The Antioch mint, operating as Theoupolis following Justinian's refounding of the city after the 526 earthquake, was overrun by the Persians in 573 — a loss that visibly disrupted output from this series.