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Solidus - Tiberius II Constantine Constantinopolis
| Issuer | Byzantine Empire |
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| Year | 579-582 |
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| Composition | Gold (.970) |
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| Obverse description | Frontal facing bust of Emperor Tiberius II Constantine, rendered in the hieratic Byzantine style, wearing an elaborate pearl-studded crown surmounted by a cross, with pendilia (hanging jeweled pendants) falling on either side of the face. The emperor is draped in imperial loros and cuirass, with the collar richly decorated with a row of pellets. A cross potent on stepped base is visible to the left of the effigy, serving as an imperial scepter. The Latin legend DN TIBER CONSTANT PP AVG (Dominus Noster Tiberius Constantinus Perpetuus Augustus) runs around the periphery of the flan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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Tiberius II Constantine ruled for just four years after Justin II's mental collapse left the empire effectively ungoverned, with Tiberius serving first as Caesar under the empress Sophia before assuming the purple in 578. His reign saw the treasury — reportedly swollen by Justin II's predecessor Justinian — drained with unusual speed through military campaigns against Persia and generous donatives to the populace. Contemporary sources, particularly John of Ephesus, note that Sophia bitterly resented Tiberius's spending and his elevation of a rival woman, Ino, as Augusta.
The Constantinople mint operated under tight imperial supervision during this period, and the DOC I#4 classification reflects a specific officina sequence traceable through extant die studies.