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Follis - Leo V and Constantine Symbatios Syracuse
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 813-820 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Facing busts of Leo V (left) and his co-emperor Constantine Symbatios (right), both crowned and draped in imperial chlamys. A cross potent rises between the two effigies, with a dot beneath it in the field. The monograms Λ (Lambda) and K (Kappa), serving as abbreviated imperial identifiers, flank the central cross on either side, rendered in large, bold Greek characters characteristic of the Syracuse mint's distinctive provincial style. |
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| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Leo V came to power by orchestrating the deposition and blinding of Michael I after the catastrophic Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Versinikia in 813, the same year this coinage begins. His co-emperor Constantine Symbatios was Leo's own son, renamed and crowned to cement dynastic continuity. The Syracuse mint was among the last western outposts of Byzantine coin production, increasingly isolated as Arab pressure on Sicily intensified through the ninth century.
Leo was murdered in the Hagia Sophia on Christmas Day 820, ending the series abruptly.