The Development of the Byzantine Solidus Pg. 8

Following the end of the Iconoclastic Controversy in A.D. 843 and the re-institution of religious images, portraits of Christ became the dominant type on the obverse of solidi. Although the youthful Syrian Christ of Justinian II's reign was not revived, the Pantokrator type was quickly re-adopted and it became one of the primary obverse types (e.g. no. 145). When the solidus was replaced by the tetarteron and histamenon by Nicephorus II Phocas in the middle of the tenth century, the Pantokrator image was retained for the new denominations (e.g. nos. 146, 147. A full-length image of Christ enthroned also became popular during the ninth and tenth centuries and is featured in the exhibition on solidi issued by Basil I (A.D. 867-886; no. 143) and Leo VI (A.D. 886-912; no. 144). Leo VI was responsible for another innovation in coin design--the introduction of a bust of the Virgin. The coin in the exhibition which illustrates this innovation is the tetarteron issued under John I Tzimisces (A.D. 969-976) which depicts the Virgin on the reverse of the coin (no. 147). She is shown paired with the effigy of the emperor and portrayed in the act of placing the imperial crown on John's head. The image is intended to convey the idea of divine sanction for John's rule. The Virgin's action on the coin symbolizes her active participation in assisting the emperor to assume the imperial office. Divine sanction for John's rule is made even further explicit by the inclusion of the hand of God or Manus Dei immediately above John's head.

The development of new types of imperial portrait, the choice of a highly abstracted and transcendant pictorial style, and the replacement of pagan subjects by Christian subject matter reveal how the solidus was transformed into a denomination quite distinct in appearance from the denominations of the Roman empire. A similar transformation can also be seen in the inscriptions that appear on solidi. The earliest solidi possess inscriptions written completely in Latin, the universal language of the Roman empire (e.g. nos. 130, 131). As Greek became the dominant language of the Byzantine empire, Greek words began to be included in the inscriptions. Greek was favoured especially for imperial titles with the Greek word basileus being used as a substitute for the Latin Augustus (e.g. no. 142 where the empress Irene is referred to as basilisse). In the early ninth century, the title Basileus Romaion ("king of the Romans") became increasingly popular (e.g. nos. 145, 146 where the title is abbreviated to BR). Although this title asserts a claim to be ruler of the "Romans" and implies continuity with the Roman imperial past, it is striking that Greek rather than Latin is the language of choice. The Roman alphabet was also gradually abandoned and Greek letter forms were combined with the Greek language to form inscriptions that mark a clear break from the traditions of the Roman empire. An inscription such as

("Mother of God, help the emperor John;" no. 147), for example, combines letters from both the Greek and Latin alphabets and announces through its language, letter forms, and content that the coin represents the Greek-speaking, Christianized culture of Byzantium and not the pagan Latin heritage of ancient Rome.

FURTHER READING

Bellinger, A. R. and Grierson, P., Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, vols. I-III. Washington, 1966-73.

Grierson, P., Byzantine Coins. London, 1982.

Whitting, P. D., Byzantine Coins. London, 1973.

Wroth, W., Catalogue of the Imperial Byzantine Coins in the British Museum. London, 1908 (repr. Chicago, 1966).