Constantine

Intro ...

(1059-1067)

X

CONSTANTINOPLE

Constantine X (1059-1067). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1847.

Obv: + ıᖹꜱ xıꜱ ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Christ enthroned facing (on throne with upright arms), wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction, in left hand book of Gospels; double border.

Rev: + ᴋωɴ ʀᴀᴄ, ᴧ, ᴏ Δᴏᴠᴋᴀᴄ (or very similar). Constantine, bearded, standing facing on footstool, wearing crown, saccos and loros, and holding labarum (sometimes with pellet on shaft) and globus cruciger; double border.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1848.

Obv: + ıᖹꜱ xıꜱ ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Christ enthroned facing (on throne with curved arms), wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction, in left hand book of Gospels; double border.

Rev: + ᴋωɴ ʀᴀᴄᴧ ᴏ Δᴏᴠᴋᴀᴄ (or very similar). The Virgin, nimbate (right) and Constantine, bearded (left), both standing facing; the Virgin is wearing pallium and maphorium, and her right hand crowns the emperor, who is wearing saccos and loros, and holding globus cruciger in the left hand; between their heads ; in upper field on either side, ᴍ—ⲑ ; double border.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1849.

Obv: Facing bust of the Virgin orans, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; on either side, ᴍᴘ—ⲑᴠ; sometimes with two pellets in upper field to left and right.

Rev: ᴋωɴ ʀᴀᴄıᴧ ᴏ Δᴠᴋ (or very similar). Bust facing, bearded, wearing crown and loros, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1850.

Obv: єɴ ᴛᴏᴠᴛω ɴıᴋᴀᴛє ᴋωɴ ᴋᴀı єᴠΔᴏᴋıᴀ. Cross crosslet on four steps, with X at center and pellet within crescent on shaft; in field to left, facing bust of Constantine, bearded, wearing crown and jewelled chlamys; to right, facing bust of Eudocia, wearing crown, saccos and loros; triple border.

Rev: + ᴋωɴ / ꜱ єᴠΔᴏᴋıᴀ / ⲡıᴄᴛᴏı ʀᴀ / cıᴧєıᴄ (or cıᴧєᴄᴄ) ᴘω / ᴍᴀıωɴ in five lines, — — — above, — · — beneath; triple border.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AR ⅔ Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1851.

Obv: + ⲑᴋє ʀᴏʜⲑ. The Virgin orans standing facing on footstool, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; in field on either side, ᴍᴘ—ⲑᴠ (sometimes with pellet beneath); on either side of nimbus, / — \ or ·፧· — ·፧·.

Rev: + ⲑᴋє ʀᴏ / ʜⲑєı ᴋωɴ / ᴄᴛᴀɴᴛıɴω / Δєcⲡᴏᴛʜ / ᴛω Δ૪ᴋᴀ in five lines; above, — — — or · — · or — x — or — ꘎ — ; beneath, — · —.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AR ⅔ Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1852.

Obv: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏᴋ’ ʀᴏʜⲑєı. The Virgin orans standing facing on footstool, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; in field on either side, ᴍᴘ—ⲑᴠ (sometimes with dash beneath); sometimes with rosette on either side of nimbus.

Rev: + ⲑᴋє ʀᴏ / ʜⲑєı ᴋωɴ / ᴄᴛᴀɴᴛıɴω / Δєcⲡᴏᴛʜ / ᴛω Δ૪ᴋᴀ in five lines; — — — above; — · — beneath.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AR ⅓ Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1852ᴀ.

Obv: Facing bust of the Virgin orans, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; on either side, ᴍᴘ—ⲑᴠ; border of large pellets.

Rev: ⲑᴋє ʀⲑ / ᴋωɴ Δєc / ⲡᴏᴛʜ ᴛω / Δᴏᴠᴋᴀ in four lines; · · · beneath; border of large pellets.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). AR ⅓ Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1852ʙ.

Obv: Facing bust of the Virgin orans, nimbate and wearing pallium and maphorium; on either side, ᴍᴘ—ⲑᴠ; border of large pellets.

Rev: + ⲑᴋє / ʀⲑ ᴋωɴ / Δєcⲡᴏ / —ᴛʜ— in four lines, nothing beneath; border of large pellets.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1853.

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

Rev: + ᴋωɴ ᴛ Δᴋ єᴠΔᴋ ᴀᴠгᴏ (or very similar). Eudocia (left) and Constantine, bearded (right) standing facing, each wearing crown and loros, and holding between them labarum with cross on shaft, resting on three steps.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1854.

Obv: + єᴍᴍᴀɴᴏᴠʜᴧ. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction, in left hand book of Gospels; in field to left and right, ıc xc [ıc and xc have lines above].

Rev: + ᴋωɴ ʀᴀᴄıᴧєᴠᴄ ᴏ Δᴏᴠᴋ (or very similar). Bust facing, bearded, wearing crown and loros, and holding cross and akakia.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1855.

Obv: No legend. 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: ıꜱ xꜱ / ьᴀꜱıⳑє / ьᴀꜱıⳑ in three lines; above — + —; beneath — ◡ —.

Notes: Anonymous Follis Class E.

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Constantine X (1059-1067). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1856.

Obv: No legend. Christ seated facing on throne without back, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium; raising right hand in benediction, and holding book of Gospels in left hand; to left, ıc; to right, xc. [ıc and xc have lines above]

Rev: ıꜱ xꜱ / ьᴀꜱıⳑє / ьᴀꜱıⳑ’ in three lines; above — + —; beneath +.

Notes: Anonymous Follis Class F.

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Constantine X’s reign began on 23 November 1059, the day after Isaac’s abdication, when he was formally crowned. He was a man of very mediocre capacity, and his reign lasted as long as it did more through the absence of any serious competitors than as a result of any natural talents of his own. Even Psellus, who was deeply attached to him and praises his modesty, kindliness, and fair-mindedness, admits that his military economies were ill timed and largely responsible for serious reverses during Constantine's own reign and major disasters under his successors. He relied greatly for support on his brother John, whom he created Caesar and who was to play a prominent role in public affairs til his death in the late 1080's. When the emperor fell seriously ill in October 1066 it was John Ducas who exercised the regency in association with the Patriarch John Xiphilinus. Before the end of 1066 Constantine recovered sufficiently to resume power, but early in 1067 he fell ill again and died on 23 May, while still in his early sixties.

Soon after his accession Constantine conferred the rank of Augusta on his masterful wife Eudocia Macrembolitissa, niece of the Patriarch Michael Cerularius, and she is associated with him on some of his silver and copper coins. He also associated his sons Constantius and Michael (VII) with him as Augusti, but since they do not appear on his coins the constitutional complications that resulted can be left for discussion til the next reign.

GOLD COINAGE. Constantine's gold coinage presents few problems of identification, since his personal name is almost always accompanied by that of his family (KωN RACIΛO ΔOUK, i.e. Κωνσταντῖνος βασιλεὐς o Δουκας, or variant). Two types of histamenon’ were struck, Class I showing on the obverse Christ seated on a square-backed throne and on the reverse a standing figure of Constantine, Class II showing Christ seated on a lyre- backed throne and a representation of the Virgin crowning the emperor. Class I forms two groups, Class I(b)differing from Class I(a) in the presence of a large pellet on the staff of the labarum held by the emperor. The order of striking of the two main classes cannot be fixed with certainty, since there is no satisfactory hoard evidence and that of fineness is inconclusive. Wroth put Class I first, on the ground that the standing figure of the emperor might have been suggested by that of Isaac's coinage. Bellinger reversed this order on the ground that the obverse of Eudocia’s histamena continued that of Class I, with Christ seated on a square-backed throne. I have, though not without hesitation, reverted to Wroth’s arrangement. The lettering on Class I is bolder and clearer than that on Class I, if not noticeably more correct. On coins of Class I the emperor is sometimes shown as an older man, with a much longer beard, and the distinct clement of characterized portraiture on such coins is not a feature one can neglect. Finally, Bellinger's typological reasoning is not really valid, for Eudocia’s “Christ on square-backed throne” is different iconographically from that of Constantine X, since Christ raises his right hand in front of his body instead of having it in the sling of his cloak, and he holds the Gospel Book by its spine instead of by its top.

The tetarteron is surprisingly rare for such a long reign. The reverse type shows the emperor wearing a loros and holding in his right hand a globus cruciger, while with the left he grasps a rather indistinct object which Wroth described as “sheath of sword (or mappa).” The same object is shown on one of his two types of follis. It differs from the sword-hilt held by Constantine IX on his miliaresia, however, in that there is no cross-piece, and I doubt if a sword would be held by an emperor wearing a loros. It is therefore here described as an akakia.

SILVER COINAGE. Constantine X’s silver coins are also easy to identify. The full miliaresion, which is very rare, is modelled on those of Basil II and Constantine VIII, with Eudocia Macrembolitissa’s name and bust replacing those of Constantine VIII. The two-thirds miliaresia, which bear his family name, are all of the same type, with the Virgin standing and an inscription in five lines, but they form two main groups according to their obverse inscription, +ΘЄTOK’ ROHΘ[ or +ΘKЄ ROHΘ’, and several smaller ones according to the symbols beside the Virgin's head or above the inscription on the reverse. The one-third miliaresion exists in two varieties, one with an inscription including his family name and the other attributable to Constantine X because it spells his name KωN, the form used on all his other coins, instead of CωN, the form used under Constantine VIII and Constantine IX. The substitution of Greek for Latin letters in coin inscriptions after the middle years of the eleventh century is a phenomenon whose importance has been noted by Veglery and Zacos.

COPPER COINAGE. Constantine X’s reign saw the revival, after some eighty years of purely anonymous issues, of a copper coinage bearing the name and effigy of the emperor. Two types were struck, Class 1 having the standing figures of Constantine and Eudocia, Class 2 the bust of Constantine alone. The order of issue is certain, for specimens of Class 2 are sometimes found overstruck on those of Class 1. It is presumably to Eudocia’s influence that the breach with tradition must be ascribed, since the fact that she also appears on Constantine X's miliaresion and was indue course to issue histamena in 1067 and to figure on much of the coinage of Romanus IV’s reign are all evidence of her anxiety to be brought, before public attention in this way. Hendy’s proposal to attribute the signed coins to a mint at Thessalonica, with which I do not agree, and the apparent anomaly in the order of precedence in Class 1, with Eudocia instead of her husband occupying the place of honor, have been discussed elsewhere.

Wroth attributed to Constantine X the Anonymous Folles of Class D. Miss Thompson assigned to him Class F, but this is too rare a type for so long a reign. It has been argued above that Classes C-F belong to the 1040's and 1050's, but that their sequence did not coincide with the changes in sovereigns over those decades.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Coinage