Irene

Intro ...

(797-802)

CONSTANTINOPLE

Irene (797-802). AV Solidus. Constantinople mint. Sear 1599.

Obv: єıʀınʜ ьᴀꜱıⳑıꜱꜱʜ. Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform scepter;

Rev: · єıʀınʜ ьᴀꜱıⳑıꜱꜱʜ (followed by ⲑ or x). Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform scepter.

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Irene (797-802). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1600.

Obv: єıʀınʜ ьᴀꜱ'. Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, holding globus cruciger and cruciform scepter;

Rev: Large ᴍ between xxx and ɴɴɴ; above, cross; beneath ᴀ.

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SYRACUSE

Irene (797-802). AV Solidus. Syracuse mint. Sear 1601.

Obv: ıᴘєɴ . ᴀгᴏsτ . Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding akakia in left hand;

Rev: ᴀгᴏᴠsᴛ. Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, and holding cross potent.

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Irene (797-802). AV Solidus. Syracuse mint. Sear 1602.

Obv: єıʀınʜ ьᴀꜱıʟıꜱı. Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, holding globus cruciger;

Rev: … ɴʜ ьᴀꜱıʟıꜱ … Bust of Irene facing, wearing crown and loros, and holding cross potent.

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Irene’s sole reign lasted from the deposition and blinding of her son Constantine VI on 19 August 797 to her own deposition at the hands of the partisans of Nicephorus I on the night of 30 October 802. She died in exile on the island of Lesbos on 9 August 803.

The accession of Irene, both as a woman and as sole ruler, created several problems for those in charge of the mint. On the solidus she is given the title of βασιλισσα—it is in the dative, an accompanying acclamation being understood—though in her legislation she terms herself βασιλεὐς. The obverse was naturally occupied by her own bust, but for the reverse she could not fall back on the expedient employed since the reign of Constantine V of representing the effigies of one or more of her predecessors. Instead of reviving the ancient cross-on-steps type she preferred to have herself depicted a second time, thus creating a precedent which was occasionally followed in the future. The two faces of the coins are thus virtually identical, but the reverse may be distinguished by the fact that itsinscription is followed by a control letter. This was not perceived by Wroth, who transposes the obverse and reverse. The control letter is either a Θ having the curious form 𐀏 —the normal Θ does occasionally occur—or an X. The coin is much less rare than is usually supposed.
No fractional gold or silver is known, but a follis exists. It has an obverse similar to that of the solidus, but with a slightly shortened inscription ending in bAS’, which might stand indifferently for either basileus or basilisa. The reverse type, a large M flanked by XXX and NNN, revives one used under Leo III. All specimens known to me are large and heavy, weighing 6g or over, twice the weight of the light follis which had been the only denomination struck under Constantine VI.
Two types of solidus, both of extreme rarity, are known for Sicily. The basic design is the same as that used at Constantinople, but the details differ. On one side, on both types, there is a facing bust of the empress wearing a loros and holding a cross potent on base instead of ,as at Constantinople, a globus cruciger and cross scepter. On the other side there is always her facing bust, but on one type she wears the loros and holds a globus cruciger, on the other she wears a chlamys and holds an akakia, while there are two curved lines projecting upward from her shoulders into the field. This type was probably the earlier of the two, for the lines appear to be a reminiscence of those of the lyre-backed throne of the last issue of folles—or perhaps of a still unknown type of Sicilian solidus—of Leo IV and Constantine. This implies that the side of the coin with Irene holding a cross potent on base should be regarded as the reverse. With an effigy of the same person on both sides of the coin the distinction was difficult to make, and from Nicephorus I onward a bust holding a cross potent on base was to mark the obverse instead of the reverse of the solidus. On the first type of solidus Irene has the title of augusta, on the second that of basilissa.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Coinage