Item number: A253
Year: AD 1071-1078
Material: Gold
Size: 28.2 x 25.8 x 0.4 mm
Weight: 4.32 g
Manufactured by: Constantinople mint
Provenance: Coincraft 2018
This is a Histamenon nomisma coin minted during the reign of Romanos IV, who seized power through a military coup from AD 1068 to AD 1071. The coin has a cup-shaped appearance, with two decorative beaded circles around the periphery on the convex side. In the centre, there are three standing figures. From left to right, they are Constantine Doukas, Michael VII, and Andronikos Doukas. These three individuals were the offspring of the late Emperor Constantine X and Eudokia, and they served as co-emperors during the reign of Romanos IV.
On the concave side, there are also three standing figures. From left to right, they are Emperor Romanos IV, Jesus Christ, and Empress Eudokia Makrembolitissa. Christ is depicted in the centre, standing on a footstool, crowning both the emperor and empress on either side, symbolising the Byzantine emperor as the earthly representative of God. The Greek letters “IC XC” on either side of Christ represent “Jesus Christ,” while the horizontal bar above the letters symbolises the divine halo.
In the mid-10th century, there was a transformation in the Byzantine solidus coin system, transitioning into two denominations: the “Histamenon” in Greek, representing the “standard,” and the “Tetarteron,” which weighed only one-fourth of the solidus. Concurrently, the Byzantine Empire began minting coins in a concave shape, referred to by numismatists as “Scyphate” (cup-shaped) coins due to their appearance.
The craftsmanship required to produce cup-shaped coins was highly intricate, making it difficult for outsiders to replicate, perhaps serving as a motivation for minting them. The process involved placing a metal blank between the concave and convex dies on a coining press, initially striking the central portrait on both sides. Subsequently, the dies for the emperor’s name and title around the periphery were applied. Due to the curvature of the coining press, the images and inscriptions on the coins might suffer from irregularities or blurriness caused by uneven pressure.
In AD 1067, Emperor Constantine X passed away, and his widow, Eudokia, acted as regent for their son, Michael VII. However, faced with pressure from the military, Eudokia was compelled to remarry and cede power to the military leader Romanos IV. In AD 1071, confronted with the Seljuk Turks’ invasion of Anatolia, the emperor Romanos himself led the campaign but suffered a disastrous defeat and was captured. Although the Seljuks eventually safely returned Romanos to Byzantium, Michael VII had already taken advantage of this opportunity to reclaim the throne. Romanos, after being blinded, was exiled to the island of Prote in the Sea of Marmara until his death.
