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Follis - Michael II and Theophilos Syracuse
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 821-829 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Follis (1⁄288) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the large numeral M — the standard denomination mark for the follis — prominently occupying the central field, struck in the broad, somewhat irregular style typical of the Syracuse mint. A cross surmounts the M above, serving as a Christian invocation, while the Greek letter Theta (Θ) appears below as a mint or officina mark. A cross potent or simple cross precedes the legend in the upper field. |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Michael II came to power by having his predecessor Leo V murdered during Christmas matins in 820, and wasted little time associating his son Theophilos on the coinage as co-emperor. The Syracuse mint, operating under increasingly tenuous Byzantine control as Arab raids intensified across Sicily, produced issues noticeably cruder in execution than Constantinople — a product of provincial die-cutting rather than any specific strike failure endemic to the type.
Syracuse would fall to the Aghlabid forces in 878, but the mint's decline was already visible in issues from this decade.