Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Tremissis - Sisebuto Mentesa
| Issuer | Visigothic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 612-621 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Tremissis |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Facing bust of the king in the center of the field, rendered in the schematic Visigothic style with curled hair and a stylized facial mask. A maltese-style cross appears above the bust at twelve o'clock. The surrounding legend reads + SISEBVTVS REX, executed in retrograde or irregular Latin capitals distributed around the periphery. The coin is bordered by a beaded inner circle, consistent with Visigothic tremissis coinage of the early seventh century. The overall design reflects the degenerate late-antique tradition adapted by Visigothic die-cutters. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Facing bust at center, similarly rendered in schematic Visigothic style with a cross motif incorporated into or above the bust, echoing the obverse composition typical of tremisses struck at Mentesa. The surrounding legend + PIVS MENTESA identifies both the royal epithet 'Pius' and the mint city of Mentesa (modern La Guardia, Jaén, Spain). Irregular Latin letterforms are distributed around the beaded border, characteristic of the localized die-engraving workshops of the Visigothic period. The reverse design closely mirrors the obverse, a hallmark of Visigothic tremissis coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Sisebut's reign is notable for the forced conversion of Jews throughout the Visigothic Kingdom — a royal decree around 616 AD that broke sharply from earlier Toledo-council policy and drew criticism from Isidore of Seville himself. Mentesa, modern-day Mengíbar in Jaén province, operated as a minor regional mint during this period, producing tremisses in comparatively small numbers relative to Toledo or Mérida.
Pliego's corpus records only a handful of confirmed specimens for this mint-reign combination.