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Chrysos - Ezanas Crosses
| Issuer | Kingdom of Aksum |
|---|---|
| Year | 380-410 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crowned bust of King Ezanas facing slightly right, rendered in a bold, somewhat schematic Aksumite style, enclosed within a beaded inner circle and a surrounding grain or wheat-ear border. The king is shown draped, with a distinctive multi-pronged crown characteristic of Aksumite royal iconography. The outer field carries a segmented Greek legend interspersed with small cross pattée symbols, affirming the Christian faith of the issuing monarch. The arrangement of crosses and letters in the marginal zone is a hallmark of late Aksumite gold coinage attributed to the reign of Ezanas. The hammered flan imparts a slightly irregular outline to the coin's overall appearance. |
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| Mintage | ND (380-410) |
| Additional information |
Ezanas was the Aksumite king who converted to Christianity sometime around 340 AD, and the crosses appearing on his gold coinage mark one of the earliest instances of any monarch placing a Christian symbol on a gold coin — predating the widespread Christianization of Roman imperial coinage under Theodosius. The shift was deliberate and public, replacing the crescent-and-disc symbol that had identified Aksumite royal issues for generations.
Aksum controlled the Red Sea trade corridor between the Roman Empire and India during this period, and gold coinage was essential to that commerce. These tiny pieces circulated far beyond the Horn of Africa.