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Nummus - Justinian I Rome, ✶♰✶
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 527-565 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Nummus (1⁄7200) |
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| 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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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A bold Latin cross with slightly flared terminals occupies the centre of the reverse field, flanked on either side by a six-pointed star, giving the arrangement ✶♰✶. The cross and stars are rendered in high relief relative to the small flan size, typical of the Rome mint nummus under Justinian I. The field is otherwise plain, with no exergual inscription or additional devices. The design is consistent with the Christian iconographic program adopted for Byzantine minor coinage of the sixth century. The flan edges are irregular and show typical die-shift and surface porosity associated with hammered copper issues of this period. |
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| Additional information |
Justinian I's nummi — the smallest fractional unit in the Byzantine bronze hierarchy — were produced throughout a reign that saw the reconquest of North Africa, Italy, and parts of Spain, yet these tiny coins remained essentially unchanged across four decades of extraordinary upheaval. The Rome mint resumed Byzantine production after Justinian's forces retook the city from the Ostrogoths in 536, making Roman-struck examples particularly significant: they represent actual fiscal operations in a city that had changed hands violently and would do so again before the century closed.