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Gatalogues
2020-10-24 Other articles >

Tremissus of Justinian I the Great (ad 527-565)

gold coin


The monetary system of the Byzantine Empire was a gold standard with an underlying solid weight of 4.5 g of 900 gold. But in addition to the large gold coin in the Empire, its derivatives were also traded, the weight of which was a multiple of the gold content of solid.

The semiss coin weighed 2.25 g of gold and was equal to 1/2 solid in value. It is interesting that the Romans had a saying 'homo non semisses' – about people who, figuratively speaking, 'are not worth a damn'.

Coin 'tremis' weighed 1.5 g of gold and the cost was equal to 1/3 of the solid. It was introduced in ancient Rome by the Emperor Magnus Maximus at the end of the IV century ad, and it 'took root' in the Eastern Roman Empire.
The tremissus from my collection - №145 in the Sears catalog - was minted under Emperor Justinian I the Great at the mint of Constantinople in 552-565 ad.
Despite its excellent preservation, it is not necessary to look for a portrait resemblance to the Emperor: the monarch's face on Byzantine coins was not so much to make him recognizable as to demonstrate the divine nature of the ruler.

But the attributes of power are more important than portrait similarity: the Laurel wreath of the Emperor of Rome on the coin was replaced with the diadem of the Emperor of Byzantium. And the inscription on the obverse (also important information!) – 'D N IVSTINIANVS PP AVG' (Justinian the Great Rules Forever).
On the reverse of the coin – the goddess Victoria with a cross and with the blessing of the August person: 'VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM, CONOB '(Victoria, Leading the Emperor to Victory).
Emperor Justinian I the Great was not in vain certified great on coins: he managed to restore the unity of the Christian world for a while-however, while acting from a position of strength, including the use of physical measures against the person of the Pope himself.

In construction, Justinian immortalized himself by creating the Hagia Sophia In Constantinople on a new architectural basis: even the Ottoman Turks, who later went skating through the cultural heritage of the Romans, did not dare to destroy this majestic symbol of Orthodoxy.
In the wars with the barbarians, Justinian restored the Byzantine state to its former borders, restoring the geographical position of the inland lake of the Empire to the Mediterranean sea.

The coin business under Justinian also experienced an upsurge: the gold received on account of the military indemnity was poured into the circulation of the Empire in gold coins - new solidi, semiss and tremiss.

Тремисс Юстиниана I Великого (527-565 гг. н.э.)

Sears 145

Тремисс, Византия

Country : Византия
Denomination : Тремисс
Year : 552-565
Mint : г. Константинополь
Circulation :
Material : Золото
Weight : 1.5
Diameter :
Alexander R.

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