Item number: A265
Year: AD 610-613
Material: Gold
Size: 17.3 x 13.8 x 0.6 mm
Weight: 1.47 g
Manufactured by: Constantinople mint, Sixth Workshop
Provenance: Coincraft 2018
This is a tremissis gold coin minted in Constantinople during the early reign of Emperor Heraclius of the Byzantine Empire, dating from AD 610 to AD 613. On the obverse side of the coin, there is a bust of Heraclius facing right, wearing a diadem, and draped in a chlamys cloak. The Latin legend on the outer rim translates to “Our Lord Heraclius, Perpetual Augustus.” On the reverse side of the coin, there is a depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, surrounded by the Latin legend “Victory, Augustus, Sixth Workshop,” the suffix “S” means six. The acronym “CON” below indicates Constantinople as the place of coin minting, and “OB” means made of pure gold.
In AD 608, Heraclius joined his father, who served as the exarch of Africa, in launching a rebellion against Emperor Phocas. In AD 610, after seizing the capital Constantinople and executing Phocas, Heraclius was crowned as the new Byzantine Emperor. In AD 613, his son Constantine III was elected as co-emperor, and thereafter, portraits of both father and son were minted on coins.
During his reign, Heraclius faced significant threats from the Persian Sassanian Empire, particularly in Anatolia and Egypt. He organised several counteroffensives, recapturing Jerusalem and retrieving the True Cross. He even penetrated deep into Sassanian territory, forcing Persia to relinquish its occupied territories, earning admiration from Christians.
The True Cross: It is rumoured to be the cross on which Jesus died. Since the 4th century, the legend of the True Cross has been prevalent among Christians, and it is considered one of the important relics with miraculous powers.
However, the prolonged wars with Persia led to Heraclius neglecting the rising Islamic forces in the Arabian Peninsula. By the time of Heraclius’s death, the emerging Arabs had already seized the empire’s territories in Egypt and Syria.
Heraclius also focused on deepening the influence of Greek culture internally. He was the first Byzantine emperor to adopt the title “Basileus,” which is the Greek word for emperor, and he established Greek as the official language. Heraclius’s Hellenisation policy profoundly influenced the religious and cultural landscape of the Balkan Peninsula in later years.
