Basil II

CATALOGUE

SEAR

ARMENIAN

COINS

EMPERORS

ANONYMOUS

FOLLIS

ARAB-BYZANTINE

COINS

Basil

Intro ...

(976-1025)

CONSTANTINOPLE

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1795.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (with 1 or 2 pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them long patriarchal cross; Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears plain chlamys.

Note: same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1801.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1796.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (variously ornamented with pellets, bars, wedges, dots within circles, etc), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them long patriarchal cross (sometimes ornamented with triangle or bar, sometimes with pellet beneath, or pellet alone); Basil wears loros of lozenge pattern, Constantine wears plain chlamys.

Note: same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1802.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1797.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (usually ornamented with pellets, resette of pellets or 2 bars), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross crosslet (sometimes with v or globule on shaft); Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears plain chlamys.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1798.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (ornamented with rosette of pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross crosslet; Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears jewelled chlamys; manus Dei above Basil’s head.

Note: same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1803.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1799.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross; Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears jewelled chlamys; manus Dei above Basil’s head.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1800.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (ornamented with 2 crescents in its upper quarters), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels; triple border.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them plain cross (rarely with globule on shaft); Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears jewelled chlamys; manus Dei above Basil’s head; triple border.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1801.

Note: same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1795.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1802.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them long patriarchal cross (sometimes ornamented with crescent, or with globule surmounting the cross); Basil wears loros of lozenge pattern, Constantine wears plain chlamys.

Note: same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1796.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1803.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross crosslet; Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears jewelled chlamys; manus Dei above Basil’s head.

Note: same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1798.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1804.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (double rim, and with 2 pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them long patriarchal cross crosslet (with globule on shaft); Basil wears chlamys (of unusual form), Constantine wears elaborate patterned costume.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1805.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (single rim, and with 2 pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross; Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears robe with V-shaped overgarment ornamented with pearls.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1806.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them patriarchal cross (with x on shaft); Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears robe with V-shaped overgarment ornamented with pearls.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1807.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm (or very similar). Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (single rim, and with 1 pellet in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels; in field to left, ıc; to right, xc.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ c cᴏnsτᴀnᴛ’ ь ʀ (or very similar). Facing busts of Basil, with short beard (left) and Constantine, beardless (right), both crowned; they hold between them labarum (with cross on shaft); Basil wears loros of square pattern, Constantine wears robe with V-shaped overgarment ornamented with pearls.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1808.

Obv: ıҺsчs xʀısτчs nıcᴀ. Patriarchal cross crosslet on four steps; triple border ornamented with 8 equally spaced globules.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ / c cᴏnsτᴀn’ / ⲡᴏʀꜰᴠʀᴏҁ’ / ⲡısτᴠ ьᴀꜱ’ / ʀωmᴀıω’ in five lines, — ፠ — above and beneath; triple border ornamented with 8 equally spaced globules.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1809.

Obv: ⲑcє ьⲑ τᴏıꜱ ьᴀꜱıⳑꜱ’. Bust of the Virgin facing, nimbate, wearing pallium and maphorium, and holding before her the infant Christ (nimbate head facing); in field to left, ᴍᴘ; to right, ⲑᴠ; [lines above ᴍᴘ ⲑᴠ] triple border.

Rev: + mєʀ ⲑч / ᴅєᴅᴏıᴀꜱm / ᴏ єıꜱ ꜱє єⳑ / ⲡıᴢωn ᴏч / c ᴀⲡᴏτx in five lines, — ፠ — beneath; triple border.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1810.

Obv: єɴ τᴏᴠτω nıcᴀτ’ ьᴀꜱıⳑєı c cωnꜱτ’. Cross crosslet, with x at center and pellet within crescent on shaft; beneath, globus on four steps; in field to left, facing bust of Basil, with short beard, wearing crown and loros; to right, facing bust of Constantine, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys; triple border.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ / c cωnsτᴀn / ⲡᴏʀꜰᴠʀᴏҁ / ⲡısτᴏı ьᴀꜱ’ / ʀωmᴀıω’ in five lines, ornaments of varying form above and beneath; triple border.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1811.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ / c cωnsτᴀn (or s cωnsᴛᴀn) / ⲡᴏʀꜰᴠʀᴏҁ / ⲡısᴛᴠ (or ⲡısτᴠ) ьᴀꜱ’ / ʀωmᴀıω’ in five lines, ornaments of varying form above and beneath; triple border.

…

Basil II (976-1025). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1812.

Obv: єɴ τᴏᴠτω nıcᴀτ’ ьᴀꜱıⳑєı c cωnꜱτ’. Cross crosslet, with x at center and pellet within crescent on shaft; ornament of varying form at base of cross; beneath, globus on four steps; in field to left, facing bust of Basil, with short beard, wearing crown and loros; to right, facing bust of Constantine, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys; triple border.

Rev: + ьᴀꜱıⳑ / c cωnsτᴀn / ⲡᴏʀꜰᴠʀᴏҁ / ⲡısτᴠ ьᴀꜱ’ / ʀωmᴀıω’ in five lines, — ⲑ — above and beneath; triple border.

…

Basil II (976-1025). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1813.

Obv: + єᴍᴍᴀɴᴏᴠʜᴧ. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and holding book of Gospels with both hands; to left, ıc; to right, xc. [ıc and xc have lines above]

Rev: + ıҺsчs / xʀısᴛчs / ьᴀꜱıⳑєч / ьᴀꜱıⳑє in four lines; ornaments above and below the legend.

Notes: SB 1813 and 1818 are one and the same type, Anonymous Follis Class A2/A3.

…

CHERSON

Basil II (976-1025). Æ Flat (17mm, 3-3.75g). Cherson mint. Sear 1814.

Obv: Monogram.

Rev: Monogram.

…

John Zimisces left no children, so that on his death there could be no immediate opposition to the emergence of Basil II and Constantine, the sons of Romanus II, from the obscurity in which they had been left during the reigns of Nicephorus II and John I. Although they were eighteen and sixteen years old respectively their upbringing had left them unfitted to exercise power. Dynastic interests were for a time represented by their great-uncle Basil, the paracoemomenus, an illegitimate son of Romanus Lecapenus, but, with the example of Nicephorus Phocas and John Zimisces before them, a series of ambitious generals kept the Empire in turmoil, assuming in succession the title of emperor and managing at one time to withdraw the whole of Asia Minor from obedience to Constantinople. Not til 989 did the long period of intermittent civil war come to an end with the death of Bardas Phocas at the battle of Abydos. By that time Basil II had fully matured as a personality and a warrior. He had disposed of his all-powerful great-uncle, he had decided to keep his frivolous and pleasure-loving brother Constantine permanently from any share in real authority while according him the formal honors that were his due, and he was ready to launch out on the career of conquest which was to restore to the Empire wide territories which had not formed part of it since the seventh century. When he died, nearly forty years later (15 December 1025), he left behind him a strong and unified state that stretched from Armenia to the Adriatic and from the Danube to the southern frontiers of Syria. He ranks with Heraclius as one of the ablest emperors in Byzantine history, and he was more fortunate than his great predecessor in not outliving his achievements.

Basil’s half century of power saw many changes in the coinage.

GOLD COINAGE. The tetarteron became a separate denomination in its own right, the module and the details of the type being differentiated from those of the histamenon. This denomination, which started the reign as a relatively small, thick coin still classical in its module, ended it as a much broader and thinner one essentially mediaeval in character. To some extent the change can be regarded as a tardy assimilation of the module of the gold to that of the silver, the histamena of the later years of the reign having the thin, fiat fabric characteristic of the miliaresion since the early eighth century. The resemblance is underlined by the adoption of a triple linear border reminiscent of the triple dotted border of the silver coins.

SILVER COINAGE. The first type of the miliaresion had a reverse similar to that of Constantine VII, but after a few weeks this was replaced by one having the busts of the two emperors in the field. In 989 the emperor's victory at Abydos was commemorated by a rare special issue having as obverse type the bust of the Virgin Nikopoios. The size of the flan of this coin was increased in a manner comparable to that of the gold, but since the coin was already broad and thin the increase, from c. 25mm to c. 27mm, was necessarily slighter. The large module was retained by the subsequent “normal” issue, but the coinage was by then affected by the so-called silver famine in the Islamic world and in the later years of the reign miliaresia were probably not being struck at all.

COPPER COINAGE. This continued without change the anonymous type introduced by John Zimisces, but at some date it underwent a drastic change, the weight being increased from about 5 g to nearly 20g. Presumably this was accompanied by an increase in its valuation in terms of money of account. Bellinger, in his study of the Anonymous Folles, suggested that the increase in weight perhaps followed the battle of Abydos and was a consequence of the securer position of the emperor after the end of the civil wars. Another possibility is that it occurred later and was connected with a drying up of the issue of miliaresia. The shortage of silver coins, which normally provide the intermediate stages between high-value gold and low-value copper, would have been made good, as in the sixth century, by the striking of unusually heavy and valuable coins ofcopper.

A notable feature of all these denominations is the proliferation of small differences in design, which in the main take the form of variations in the ornaments used in the nimbus of Christ on the gold and above and below the lines of inscription on the silver and copper. The meaning of these ornaments or privy-marks is unknown. It has been argued that the varying proportions of folles with particular groups of ornaments in hoards and site finds may indicate the existence of provincial mints, and the great variations in the fabric and style of the coins, as can be seen on Plates XLVIII-LIV, give some support to such an idea. Another possibility is that they were chronological in character, the marks being changed at regular intervals as an element in mint control, so that although the material at our disposal does not yet allow us to arrange the coins in chronological order, a study of muling, and of hoard evidence as it becomes available, will eventually allow this to be done. Certainly there are some remarkable coincidences between the number of privy-marks recorded and the periods of time over which particular classes were probably issued. Foles of Class A2 are generally attributed to Basil's reign (forty-nine years), with perhaps those of Constantine VIII (three years) and Romanus III (six years) as well, which on the assumption of the marks being changed annually would fit very well with the number of marks (between fifty and sixty) recorded for this series. The marks on Class II of the miliaresion, which on other grounds can be dated to 977-89, are twelve in number if Classes II A and II B followed each other consecutively, nine if they represent parallel issues, which once again fits the chronological framework required. The five recorded marks for Class IV would bring one on to the mid-990's, when there are other reasons for supposing that the minting of miliaresia may have greatly diminished, or even have come to an end. Finally, in the gold, twelve marks are recorded for Class II, for which 977-89 represents a likely dating, and twelve for Class III, which may have ended in 1001. In any case, the possibility of the ornaments forming a system of dating is one that deserves investigation.

Only two mints were certainly in operation during the reign, Constantinople and Cherson. The output of the later was limited to cast copper coins of the usual type, having on the obverse an elaborate monogram of BACIΛIOV and on the reverse one of ΔЄCΠOTOV (below, No. 21). The coins are fairly common and were presumably struck down to 989, when Cherson was conquered by Vladimir of Kiev. The bulk of Basil's coinage was of the mint of Constantinople.

GOLD COINAGE. The gold coins of Basil II, like those of Nicephorus II and John Zimisces, consist partly of full-weight histamena and partly of tetartera. Both are basically of the same type, the obverse consisting of the facing bust of Christ Pantocrator and the reverse the two facing busts of Basil and Constantine holding a long cross between them, but within this broad uniformity of type many varieties in detail are found. There are differences in the size of the coins, in the size and decoration of the nimbus of Christ, in the costume of the emperors, in the form of the cross and the decoration on its shaft, in the way in which it is held by Basil, and finally in the presence or absence of a suspended crown above the latter's head. Broadly speaking, coins without a suspended crown are earlier than those on which one is present; coins on which Basil wears a normal loros— what Wroth calls "a robe of lozenge pattern”—are earlier than those with the modified loros—Wroth’s “robe of square pattern’’; and the order in the form of the cross is (1) patriarchal cross, (2) patriarchal cross crosslet, and (3) simple cross. There is, however, an early group of coins with modified loros, a carry-over from the previous reign, and a late group of tetartera with patriarchal cross. The main features, and the changes they underwent, may be summarized as follows:

Module. The histamenon increased in size during the reign from about 21 mm to about 26 mm, the earliest coins being interchangeable with the nomismata of John Zimisces and the latest ones with the histamena of Constantine VIII. The tetarteron, on the other hand, retained the traditional size of the nomisma, so that by the end of the reign the two denominations were completely distinct and could not be confused with one another.

Nimbus. On the earliest issues, as under preceding emperors, the head of Christ is almost as large as the nimbus, so that the only ornaments for which there is room in the arms of the nimbus cross are one or two small pellets. Quite early in the reign the size of the head of Christ was reduced and that of the nimbus enlarged, making possible the insertion in the arms ofthecrosofsuchornaments as a cross of five pellets, a rosette of seven pellets, a wedge, an annulet with a pellet in the center, and so forth. Only in the last issue of the reign was the series of ornaments in the cross-arms abandoned; instead the nimbus carries a pair of crescents in its upper two quarters.

The lines which mark the arms of the cross are usually straight, but in the last issue of nomismata they have serifs at the ends, where they join the outer circle of the nimbus. The same feature is found on the main issue of tetartera and forms one of the elements by which this can be approximately dated. On some issues a double line is used to mark the cross and/or the circumference of the nimbus. The same feature had sometimes occurred under John Zimisces. On a unique tetarteron of early date the bust of Christ is flanked by IC XC, another link with rare coins of John.

Costume. Save on the tetartera Basil’s costume is either a modified loros, with square pattern, or a normal loros of the traditional type, while Constantine wears a chlamys, which on later issues has a decorated tablion. On the coins which the size of nimbus shows to be the earliest the modified loros was used, as under John Zimisces, but before the narrow nimbus had been abandoned this had been replaced by the traditional form of the garment. The latter lasted throughout the period of the patriarchal cross, after which the modified loros was reintroduced and lasted for the rest of the reign. The way in which the brothers grasp the central cross is not uniform, though Basil’s hand is always above that of Constantine. On the earlier and later coins Basil grasps the cross in his right hand, so that his right arm has to be held in front of his body; on Class III he grasps it in his left hand and one sees only his forearm emerging from the side of his robe. In each case Constantine does the reverse of his brother. Evidently no significance can be attached to the gesture so far as ceremony and protocol were concerned.

The imperial costume on the tetarteron is more complicated. On the earliest type Basil wears a robe of square pattern which resembles, but is not identical with, the modified loros—there are fewer squares, and these are furnished with pear-shaped ornaments instead of circular pellets—while Constantine wears a robe having a V-shaped opening over an undergarment with a trefoil ornament. Some later classes conform to the pattern of the histamena, but others are original and distinctive in various ways. The last class, which is the commonest, shows Constantine once again wearing a robe with a V-shaped opening somewhat resembling that of the earliest coins.

Cross. The crosses are of the types referred to above. The ends of the cross-arms are sometimes triangular and sometimes formed by a pellet, depending on which type of punch was preferred by a particular die-sinker in setting about his work. The cross of Type D of the tetarteron is a variant of the patriarchal cross crosslet of Class III of the histamenon, being a kind of patriarchal cross fourchée with a pellet at the end of each arm. In classifying the objects which sometimes decorate the shaft of the cross one need not take account of a small central dot which is frequently though not invariably present, since it does no more than mark the point from which the die-sinker worked in executing the design.
The list of types is set out in Table 21, which is slightly modified from that in my article. The order of the classes of the histamena seems to me assured, but we have as yet no idea of the succession of ornaments within each class. That of the tetartera, where we have to deal with types rather than classes, is less certain except at the start and the finish; for the intervening “issues,” almost all known in unique examples, only very approximate dates can be suggested. In any case, the divergence of histamena and tetartera means that these must be discussed separately.

HISTAMENON

Class I (No.1). January 977. Obv. Bust of Christ. Rev. Two busts holding simple patriarchal cross, Basil wearing modified loros. This is the earliest issue of the reign—it is of small module, Christ's nimbus isnnarrow, the emperors have narrow, triangular features of traditional type—and is very rare, so that its period of output must have been very brief. Since one specimen in the British Museum (No.7 below) is of tetarteron weight, the coins must belong to the opening weeks of 977 and not to Basil and Constantine's first “reign” in 963, to which one would otherwise be tempted to assign them. They are modeled on the last coinage of Constantine VII but show some more recent features, notably the modified loros worn by Basil and the treatment of Christ's beard, which takes the form of a series of lumpy “knots,” as it had under Nicephorus II and John, instead of being made with short strokes, asunder Constantine VII and Romanus II.

Class II (No.2). 977-989 (?). Obv. Same bust of Christ. Rev. Similar type, but Basil wears the normal loros, the nimbus of Christ is enlarged to allow the insertion of ornaments in its cross, other ornaments sometimes appear on the shaft of the patriarchal cross, and the module of the coins increases slightly with the passage of time from c. 20mm to c. 23mm. This issue saw a change in the portraiture of the two emperors, more especially in that of Basil, whose face broadens out and is shown more definitely bearded, like the effigies of Nicephorus II and John. The different habits of work of the die-sinkers can be seen in the way in which they set about reproducing details of the design, as for example the patriarchal cross. The ends of this are sometimes terminated with pellets, sometimes with triangles, according to the form of punch employed, and there is a tendency for the topmost one to become larger and swell into a globule.

Coins of this class are quite common, and its issue must have extended over a number of years, but its chronology can be discussed only in relation to that of Classes III and IV. The transition from Class II (plain patriarchal cross) to Class III (patriarchal cross crosslet) is one without any iconographical significance in itself, but that from Class III to Class IV, with the introduction of a suspended crown above Basil’s head, is a different matter. Such a suspended crown, which had not occurred in Byzantine coinage since the fifth century, was in essence a symbol of power and victory, and there can be little doubt that its introduction was intended to celebrate some great occasion in the reign. The most obvious dates are 989, the battle of Abydos, in which Basil triumphed over his domestic enemies and which, if Psellus tells us truly, played so important a role in the formation of his character, and either 1014, the year of his great victory over the Bulgarians at Cimbalongus with its appalling aftermath, or the final conquest and annexation of Bulgaria in 1018. But the first of these dates is too early—Classes II and III of the gold could scarcely be fitted into the twelve years 977-89—and 1018, or even 1014, though supported by the accepted interpretation of the Marciana miniature of Basil already alluded to, would be too late, for Classes IV-VI could not be fitted into the years between these dates and Basil's death in 1025. A third possibility is 1001, when Basil returned in triumph to Constantinople after two years of brilliant successes in Asia Minor. He found waiting for him in the capital no less a person than the Patriarch Orestes of Jerusalem, sent by the Fatimid caliph with full powers to conclude a treaty which took the form of a ten years’ truce that restored peace to Asia Minor and Syria and was no doubt accompanied by the customary festivities and exchange of prisoners on an immense scale. If 1001 be taken as the date when Class III was replaced by Class IV, one would expect Classes II and III to divide almost equally the twenty-four years between 977 and that date, since they are about equally common and the same number of ornaments is recorded for each. I would therefore assign Class II to 977-89, and assume that the ornaments were changed at yearly intervals and correspond to dates.

Class III (No. 3). 989-1001 (?).Obv. Same bust of Christ. Rev. Similar type, but Basil wears a modified loros and the emperors hold a patriarchal cross closet with their left hands. It is difficult to see any good reason for the change of type, unless it was that of allowing many of the earlier marks to be reused. The change in the way in which the patriarchal cross is held seems to be without significance. The patriarchal cross croslet is in reality a patriarchal cross with three pellets decorating the end of each arm, but since the general effect is that of a cross crosslet, it is convenient to use the Western heraldic term for the resulting symbol. As with Class I,the ornaments sometimes take the form of objects on the shaft of the cross as well as in the nimbus of Christ. It has already been suggested that the class was struck over the years 989-1001, the year 989 coinciding with the issue of the large silver coins celebrating Basil's victory at Abydos.

Class IV (No. 4). 1001-1005 (?). Same type as last, but the crowns of both emperors have pendilia with bifid ends, a crown is suspended over Basil’s head, and Constantine’s chlamys has a decorated tablion, The ornament in the nimbus cross is always ፨ . Coins of this class are of uniformly large module (c. 25 mm), and the great novelty in their design is the suspended crown, though the addition of pendilia to the crowns actually worn by the emperors is worthy of note, as they occur again on Classes V and VI. The tablion on Constantine's chlamys is usually decorated with three dots (⋮),but sometimes with two (:) or five (⁙). The issue saw the abandonment of“dating” by frequent changes of ornament, but the use of signs before or after the inscriptions—see details in the catalogue—may have served the same function. The class is substantially rarer than Classes II, III, or VI, and presumably had a short life. I would attribute it conjecturally to the four years after 1001, those of the first phase of the Bulgarian campaign and the reconquest of the eastern Balkans, which ended with Basil’s return to the capital in 1005.

Class V (No.5). 1005 (?). Obv. Same bust of Christ, with ፨ in nimbus cross. Rev. Same type (crowns with pendilia, suspended crown above Basil, tablion on Constantine's chlamys), but patriarchal cross having large globule at the end of each arm. This was probably an experimental type which failed to give satisfaction and was discarded in favor of that of Class VI. The features which link it to Class IV are apparent from the description above, but the cross is substantially different in design and, since the three specimens known to me are struck with different reverse dies, this cannot be written off as a workman's error. Their close relationship, however, is shown by the fact that the three coins share a common obverse die.

Class VI (No. 6). 1005 (?)-1025. Obv. Same bust of Christ, but the arms of the nimbus cross have serifed ends where they join the rim of the nimbus—the arms are too narrow to contain ornaments—and there are crescents in the upper quarters. Rev. Same type, but the faces are larger and broader and the emperors hold a simple cross. The diameter of the coins is c. 25-27 mm, and on each side there is a triple border of dots instead of a single one.

Histamena of this class are extremely common, and their issue forms a landmark in the history of Byzantine gold coinage. The broad thin fabric became that of the histamena of the next two centuries, and the triple border, as is noted in the Introduction, gave rise to the name of scyphati by which they are known in South Italian documents, a term misinterpreted by modern numismatists and supposed to refer to the concave shape of later eleventh-century coins. The two crescents in the upper quarters of the nimbus were popularly supposed to be the sun and the moon, which in early art often accompany representations of the Crucifixion, thus giving rise to the name helioselenata by which they were sometimes called. This issue saw the abandonment of any system of ‘dating’ the only variety, and that quite rare, is one having a pellet on the staff of the cross. Such a pellet on the shaft of a cross or labarum recurs on many later eleventh-century coins, but whether it marks the products of a second oficina or coins destined for a special purpose, or whether it had some other function, is unknown.

TETARTERON. The tetartera form two groups. One consists of coins struck with normal histamenon dies but lighter than histamena in weight. They occur in a number of varieties of Classes I-IV, and so were presumably being produced down to c. 1005. Three specimens are listed below, Nos. 7-9, and no doubt many others exist. Some of them may be histamena cut down in circulation, but others were probably issued as tetartera by the mint. There seem to be no tetartera of Class VI, presumably because by that time an independent tetarteron type was already in existence.

The main such type is that catalogued below as F.2, which is fairly common and of which complete hoards have been found. The others form a miscellany of varying designs, very difficult to date and mostly known in only one or two specimens. One would expect them to be grouped around the date at which Type F.2 came into existence, but a few must be substantially earlier. It would seem that the mint made several attempts during the reign to strike independent types, but only in its second half did it meet with success. Further rare types—one can hardly call them classes—may well come to light in the future, and the weight pattern, as we have seen in the Introduction, is not easy to understand.

Type A. (No.10). 977. Obv. Bust of Christ between IC and XC. Rev. Two busts holding between them a labarum with cross on shaft. This is the most remarkable of the types, being the only coin of the reign in which the emperors hold a labarum instead of a cross. The costumes of both emperors are unusual, as the descriptions in the text make clear. An early date is indicated by the triangular faces of the emperors, by the size of the head of Christ in relation to the nimbus, and by the IC XC in the obverse field, a carry-over from the same feature on rare tetartera of John Zimisces (above, pp.595-6, Nos. 6b, 6c). As with the histamena of Class I, one is bound to wonder whether the coin should not be attributed to 963, but the fact of its being a tetarteron proves the contrary. Presumably the mint authorities, once the design of Class II of the histamena had been approved, hoped to be allowed to make a formal distinction between these and the other denomination of nomisma.

Type B. (No.1). C. 980(?). Obv. Bust of Christ with ornamented nimbus. Rev. Two busts holding a patriarchal cross with a crescent on the shaft. This is of the same general type as Class II of the histamenon, but is distinguished by the crescent on the shaft of the cross. Such a device was to be occasionally used in the eleventh century to distinguish issues of lower value as they came into existence, though it normally implies a reduction in fineness, not one in weight. The small size of the coin would point to a fairly early date, and c.980 cannot be far wrong.

Type C. (No. 12). 977-989 (?). Obv. Bust of Christ. Rev. Two busts holding a patriarchal cross with a large globule at the top. This is a further variety of Class II of the histamenon, with one element in the patriarchal cross altered so as to indicate that the coin differed from the normal nomisma. In one notable respect it started a pattern, for from this time onward all tetartera of independent design have two pellets in the nimbus cross. The coin must have been struck in the 980's, but it is impossible to give an exact date.

Type D. (No. 13). 989-1001 (?). Obv. Bust of Christ. Rev. Two busts holding patriarchal cros croslet having a pellet on the shaft, Constantine once again wearing elaborately decorated robes instead of the normal chlamys. This coin is cited and illustrated from the Ratto catalogue and one can only surmise that it was a tetarteron, for its weight is not recorded and I do not know its present whereabouts. The patriarchal cross crosslet—the real nature of this, with three pellets decorating the ends of the cross-arms, is more evident than usual—dates it to the period 989-1001 (?).

Type E. (No.14). c. 1000-1005. Obv. Bust of Christ. Rev. Two busts holding patriarchal cross. This is superficially a reversion to an earlier type, but its late affiliations are shown by the design of the imperial busts and by the presence of pendilia, a feature otherwise occurring only on Classes IV-VI of the histamena and Type F of the tetartera. Those on Type E differ from the others, however, in having trifid instead of bifid ends. The coin can be approximately dated to c.1000-1005.

Type F. (No. 15). c.1005-1025. Obv. Bust of Christ, the arms of the cross being serified. Rev. Two busts holding a plain patriarchal cross, the crowns furnished with bified pendilia, and Constantine wearing an elaborate robe with a characteristic V-shaped opening in front. There are two varieties of this type, one—very rare—with nothing on the shaft of the cross, the other fairly common with an X on the shaft. Like the crescent of Type B, such a mark was sometimes to be used in the future to indicate nomismata of inferior quality. It is with this issue that the tetarteron can be said to gain a place inthecoinage system of the Empire, since it was now a separate denomination distinguished in type as well as in weight from the histamenon and issued on a large scale. Coins of Type F .2, however, are heavier than most of the earlier and later tetartera, and at 4.2g they would have been worth twenty-three carats in relation to the histamena of this period.

MILIARESION. There are four classes of miliaresia, but two of them are very rare and form, though for quite different reasons, exceptional issues. The classes, with summary descriptions and catalogue references, are as follows:

Class I (No. 16). 977 (opening weeks). Obv. Inscription of customary type. Rev. Patriarchal cross on steps. This in the main represents a reversion to a traditional type, without a medallion of the emperor at the intersection of the arms of the cross, and was something innocuous that the mint was able to produce at short notice. At the date of my article of 1967 I knew of only a single specimen, that published below (No. 16), but another, from different dies, has since been kindly brought to my attention by a Greek collector.

Class II (No. 17). 977-89. Obv. Elaborate cross crosslet between two busts. Rev. Inscription in field. This represents the mint’s solution to the problem of how to depict two co-emperors on the coin, and forms the commonest type of the reign. There are two separate groups, distinguished by the spelling of the epithet moto! applied to the emperors, Class II A having it as ΠISTOI and Class II B as ΠISTV. There are small variations in the letter forms (T, T), and the first class usually reads CCωNST in the inscription, the second one SCωNST. The inscription has a variety of ornaments above and below, three being common to both series and four peculiar to Class II A, two to Class II B. Specimens of Class II A, as they are known to us today, are found to have been nearly always clipped, this having been done very drastically but at the same time quite neatly, so that the coins remain roughly circular inform and were evidently still expected to remain in use as money. Coins of Class II B, on the other hand, are usually unclipped.

How this phenomenon can best be interpreted is not clear. The two spellings could be an indication that two different mints were at work, but the two varieties seem to be equally common and Hendy has pointed out the unlikelihood of a supposed second mint having an output at all comparable with that of Constantinople. They may be the products of separate officinae at a single mint, that of Constantinople, as Hendy has argued, his view being that the clipping was done before the coins were put into circulation. There would thus have been in existence a light miliaresion comparable to the light nomisma or tetarteron. Or they may be consecutive issues from the same mint, as I argued in 1967, the clipping having taken place in circulation and being due to some kind of economic pressure which had eased off by the time that Class B was issued.

There is not at present enough evidence to decide the matter one way or the other. In favor of Hendy’s view is the neatness and regularity of the cliping, which one would not expect ifithad been done after the coins had left the mint, and the fact of a number of ornaments being common to both series, as if these were being issued simultaneously. There is also the unlikelihood of the easing of a supposed economic pressure coinciding with a change in orthography, which would be something quite internal to the mint. On the other hand, the coincidence is not exact, for some coins of Class II A escaped clipping, and clipped ones of Class II B do exist; this should not have been the case if one officina were systematically clipping its coins and the other not. Nor would one expect such a differentiation into separate officinae, or indeed the issue of light-weight miliaresia, to be limited to a single class of coin, and there seems to be no trace of either phenomenon in Class IV. Further, if the ornaments mark yearly issues, as I believe was the case for the foles, the seven known “ornaments” of Class II A could be added to the five of Class II B to bridge the twelve years between 977 and 989. Unfortunately the only well-described hoard of the period, that of Vella, is from Estonia, and “foreign” hoards throw a very uncertain light on domestic circulation. In any event, the issue of Class II was apparently ended by the introduction of Class III in 989, which changed the module of the miliaresia of the reign.

Class III (No. 19). 989. Obv. Bust of the Virgin, with inscription recognizing her aid to “the emperors.” Rev. Inscription in field. These beautiful and remarkable coins have customarily been ascribed to John Zimisces, but this was no more than a conjecture of F. de Saulcy unwisely followed by subsequent scholars. Neither their fabric nor their module fits his reign, and the reference to βασιλεῖς in the plural shows that they are better given to Basil II and Constantine VIII. Further, since their inscription is an expression of confidence in the efficacy of the Virgin's aid, and the icon represented on the coin was credited with playing a miraculous role at the battle of Abydos, in which Bardas Phocas died and Basil's hold on the throne was assured, the coins can be dated with confidence to 989. They are very rare, and evidently formed a very brief commemorative issue.

Class IV (No.20). 989-1025. As Class II B (with ΠISTV), but of larger module, and instead of a variety of ornaments above and below the inscription, where there is always — ☉ — , one finds varying ornaments on the base of the cross which were evidently intended to fulfil the same purpose. These coins, unlike those of Class II, are somewhat rare. Five different ornaments are known, and more may yet be discovered. The class represents the final issue of Basil’s reign, but it is impossible to say how late it in fact continued to be struck. The rarity of Byzantine silver in the eleventh century shows that the Empire was strongly affected by the so-called “silver famine” of the Muslim world, and it seems to me doubtful that the issue continued much beyond 995 or 1000. It was this drying up of Byzantine minting that led to the extensive imitation of miliaresia in southern Russia, the products being crude pieces of silver or—more commonly—copper on which one can often detect little more than the two imperial busts on either side of the cross and a five-line inscription in which the letters are reduced to squares or circles. Their prototypes, however, were unmistakably the miliaresia of Class II, which likewise formed the type of Byzantine silver coin best known in the Baltic region and Scandinavia.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Coinage