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Solidus - Gregory in the name of Justinian II
| Issuer | Benevento (Lombard Kingdom) |
|---|---|
| Year | 732-739 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | D N I IVS PP |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Gregory ruled Benevento as duke from 732 to 739, and this solidus belongs to a politically telling practice: Lombard princes in Benevento continued striking coins in the name of the reigning Byzantine emperor long after any real imperial authority in the south had collapsed. Naming Justinian II — twice emperor, twice deposed, finally executed in 711 — on a coin struck two decades after his death was not ignorance. It was deliberate conservatism, a way of avoiding the diplomatic friction that came with asserting independent monetary identity.
The electrum composition is a degraded descendant of the Byzantine gold standard, the gold content having drifted well below what Constantinople was producing by this date.