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40 Nummi - Justinian I Antioch, CHЄЧPO, Bust Facing
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
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| Year | 542-543 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Facing helmeted and cuirassed bust of Emperor Justinian I, portrayed in imperial military dress with a plumed helmet and decorated cuirass. The emperor holds a globus cruciger in his right hand and a shield in his left, with a cross positioned to the right of the bust. The effigy is rendered in the frontal, hieratic style characteristic of early Byzantine coinage, conveying imperial authority and divine mandate. The obverse legend surrounds the bust in Latin majuscules. |
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| Reverse description | Large denomination mark M (denoting 40 nummi) dominates the reverse field, surmounted by a cross. To the left of the M, the inscription ANNO is arranged vertically, with the regnal year numeral XVI (year 16) appearing to the right, occasionally accompanied by a star beneath. The officina letter appears below the M, identifying the workshop responsible for striking the coin. In the exergue, the mint signature CHЄЧPO identifies Theopolis (Antioch on the Orontes), the issuing mint. The reverse layout conforms to the standard Justinianic follis type established by the currency reform of 498. |
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| Additional information |
The CHЄЧPO mintmark on this follis identifies Antioch — or more precisely, Theoupolis, "City of God," the name Justinian imposed on the city after the catastrophic earthquake of 526 destroyed it nearly completely. The renaming was as much theological assertion as rebuilding proclamation. This issue dates to the year the Justinianic Plague first struck the eastern Mediterranean, a pandemic that killed perhaps a third of the Byzantine population and severely disrupted mint output across the empire.