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Follis - Anonymous Class A2 Constantinopolis
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 976-1028 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 15 g |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of Christ Pantokrator, nimbed with a cruciform nimbus, vested in pallium and colobium. Christ holds an ornamented Gospel book with both hands before his chest. The Christogram IC XC flanks the bust to left and right respectively, with the epithet ЄMMANOVHΛ inscribed in the upper field. The portrait is rendered in the formal, hieratic style characteristic of middle Byzantine anonymous folles. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | +ЄMMANOVHΛ IC XC (Translation: ЄMMANOVHΛ : `God is with us` I(-HCOY-)C X(-PICTO-)C : `Jesus Christ`) |
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| Additional information |
The Anonymous Folles were a deliberate break from centuries of Byzantine practice — by removing the emperor's image entirely, the state made an explicit theological statement that Christ alone held temporal authority. Class A2 represents the second and most prolific emission within this anonymous series, struck across the reigns of Basil II, Constantine VIII, and the early years of Romanos III. The Constantinople mint produced them in enormous quantities, which explains why survivors in decent condition remain accessible today despite their age.
Dies for this class show considerable variation in execution, and careful comparison against DOC III-2 plate coins can sometimes narrow attribution more precisely than the broad 976–1028 window suggests.