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Byzantine Coins :
Emperor Maurice Tiberius : Byzantine Gold Solidus of Emperor Maurice Tiberius
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Byzantine Gold Solidus of Emperor Maurice Tiberius - C.6875
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 582
AD
to 602
AD
Collection: Numismatics
Medium: Gold
$1,200.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
Obverse: Helmeted and Cuirassed Bust of the
Emperor Facing Forward, Holding Cross
Reverse: Angel Standing Facing Forward, Holding
Labarum and Globus Cruciger
Maurice Tiberius was an active and vigorous
ruler, with a long-term plan for the empire,
something his predecessor Tiberius had
definitely been lacking. The new emperor
reversed the centralization of Justinian and his
successors. In the besieged west, he introduced
the system of Exarchates, thus solidifying control
over Italy, Sicily, and North Africa. An excellent
military officer, Maurice gained a favorable peace
with the Persians, ending a twenty years of war
which had erupted when Justin II refused to pay
the Persian King the tribute due him under the
treaty agreed with Justinian. However, the
Balkans proved to be the source of Maurice’s
downfall. Unable to fend off the Slavs pushing
over the Danube border, his underpaid and
overstretched western army grew disenchanted
with Maurice. When, in 602, the army was
ordered to make their winter camp on the hostile
north shore of the Danube, revolt broke out. A
grotesque, half-barbarian junior officer by the
name of Phocas was raised on a shield and
proclaimed Augustus. Phocas marched on the
capital where the senate confirmed his title.
Maurice and his children were executed by
henchmen soon after.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or purse? What eras and lands have the
coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who might have touched the coin before us, or
where the coin will venture to after it leaves our
hands. More than money, coins are a symbol of
the state that struck them, of a specific time and
location, whether contemporary currencies or
artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise
of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail
that is often lacking in contemporary machine-
made currencies. This magnificent coin is a
memorial to the ancient glories of the Byzantine
Empire passed down from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to
generation.
- (C.6875)
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