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1/8 Siliqua - Constans II
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire (Byzantine states) |
|---|---|
| Year | 641-668 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of Emperor Constans II, bearded and crowned, rendered in a schematic Byzantine style with broad flat features typical of late antique hammered coinage. The imperial crown is visible atop the head, and a symbol or star appears to the right of the bust in the field. The portrait is contained within an irregular flan with no legible surrounding legend. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Constans II ruled for nearly three decades under relentless pressure — the Arab conquests stripped Egypt and Syria from the empire during his reign, permanently severing the wealthiest provinces and collapsing Byzantine fiscal infrastructure. The fractional silver coinage of this period reflects that contraction directly: these tiny issues circulated in an economy scrambling to sustain military campaigns on multiple fronts simultaneously. In 662, Constans relocated his court to Syracuse, the only emperor to abandon Constantinople in the city's history, where he was murdered in his bath six years later.