John

Intro ...

(969-976)

l

CONSTANTINOPLE

John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1785.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding long patriarchal cross in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1789.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1786.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding tall cross in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1789ʙ.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1787.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding globe surmounted by trefoil in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; in field to right, ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1790.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1788.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding globe surmounted by trefoil in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; in field between them, cross; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the tetarteron nomisma SB 1791.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Histamenon nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1788ᴀ.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding globus in left hand, above, long cross on base; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head and in field to right, ᴍⲑ; in field between them, cross; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1789.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding long patriarchal cross in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1785.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1789ᴀ.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels; in field, ıc—xc (or ı—x).

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding long patriarchal cross in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1785, only addition is ıc—xc (or ı—x) in obverse field.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1789ʙ.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding tall cross in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1786.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1790.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding globe surmounted by trefoil in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; in field to right, ᴍⲑ; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1787.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AV Tetarteron nomisma. Constantinople mint. Sear 1791.

Obv: + ıҺs xıs ʀєx ʀєςɴᴀɴᴛınm. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger, pallium and colobium, and raising right hand in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels.

Rev: + ⲑєᴏᴛᴏc ьᴏʜⲑ’ ıω ∂єsᴘ (or very similar). Facing busts of the Virgin, nimbate (right), and John, with short beard (left), holding globe surmounted by trefoil in left hand; the Virgin, wearing stola and maphorium, is crowing the emperor; above her head ᴍⲑ; in field between them, cross; emperor is wearing loros, and above his head is the manus Dei.

Notes: exact same type as the histamenon nomisma SB 1788.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1792.

Obv: + ıҺsчs xʀısτчs nıcᴀ ᕯ. Cross crosslet on globus above two steps; at center, circular medallion containing facing bust of John, with short beard, wearing crown and loros and dividing the inscription ı / ω — ᴀ / n; triple border ornamented with 8 equally spaced globules.

Rev: + ıωᴀnn’ / єn xω ᴀᴠτᴏ / cʀᴀᴛ’ єᴠꜱєь’ / ьᴀꜱıⳑєᴠꜱ / ʀωmᴀıω’ in five lines, — ·፧· — or — ፠ — or — + — above and beneath; triple border ornamented with 8 equally spaced globules.

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John I Tzimisces (969-976). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1793.

Obv: + єᴍᴍᴀɴᴏᴠʜᴧ. Bust of Christ facing, wearing nimbus cruciger (with 2 pellets in each limb of cross), pallium and colobium, and holding book of Gospels (the cover ornamented with central pellet in border of dots) with both hands; to left, ıc; to right, xc. [ıc and xc have lines above]

Rev: + ıҺsчs / xʀısᴛчs / ьᴀꜱıⳑєч / ьᴀꜱıⳑє in four lines.

Notes: Anonymous Follis Class A1.

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CHERSON

John I Tzimisces (969-976). Æ Flat (16mm, 3-3.75g). Cherson mint. Sear 1794.

Obv: Monogram.

Rev: Monogram.

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John Zimisces’ accession can be dated from his proclamation as emperor on the day after the murder of his predecessor, though it was not til a week later (19 December) that he was crowned in Saint Sophia. The patriarch’s consent to the ceremony was given only in return for an undertaking to expel Theophano from the palace. The empress-regent was banished to Prinkipo, and the titular emperors, Basil and Constantine, were ignored by John throughout his reign. The new emperor linked himself to the glamor of the Macedonian house by marrying Theodora, a daughter of Constantine VII, who was released by the Church from the vows she had been compelled to take by her brother Romanus II. His short reign was one of brilliant military success, but it was probably the strain of his campaigns that resulted in his sudden death on 10 January 976.

The unedifying manner of John’s accession affected neither his reputation for piety nor his devotion to the Virgin, both of which are reflected in his coinage. The first resulted in the introduction of the new type of follis on which a bust of Christ and a religious inscription were substituted for the traditional bust of the emperor and his name and titles. The second lay behind the retention of the bust of the Virgin on his solidi. None of his coins make any allusion to the existence of his nominal colleagues Basil and Constantine.

John I's nomisma is like that of Nicephorus II in that it has the facing bust of Christ Pantocrator on the obverse and those of the emperor and the Virgin on the other. Since the Virgin is shown crowning him, however, the relative position of the two figures on the coin has been reversed; he is on the left and she is on the right, so that her right hand may touch his crown. There is a Manus Dei blessing him from above. Both full weight and lighter coins were struck.

On what was to become the main type of the reign, John is shown holding a long patriarchal cross, but it was preceded by a series of rare and short-lived experimental varieties on which other insignia were used. Only after they had failed to give satisfaction did the die-sinkers come back to the customary patriarchal cross which the Byzantines by now expected to see on their solidi. There are two main classes. On coins of Class I the inscription is unbroken and the emperor holds a globus; on those of Class II the inscription is broken and he holds a cross. Within each class there are several varieties.

Class I. Inscription unbroken, emperor holds globus.
(a) Globus surmounted by trefoil, no cross in field. A globus with trefoil was unusual but not unprecedented, since Nicephorus II had been shown holding such an object on Class 1 of his folles. Its significance is unknown.

(b) Similar, but with large cross in upper field.

(c) Globus plain, and the shaft of the cross has been prolonged downward to end on a base just above it. The four arms of the cross each end in the large globule, and a small further cross-arm (without terminal globules) has been added as an afterthought to the die, turning a Latin cross into a patriarchal one.

Class II. Inscription broken, emperor holds cross.
(a) Emperor holds plain cross. The globus has disappeared and the shaft of the cross (not a patriarchal one) has been prolonged downward, so that it can be held by the emperor in the usual way. This variety, unlike the preceding ones, is moderately common.

(b) As last, but the cross is a patriarch alone. This forms the main issue of the reign. On what are probably the earlier coins the arms of the cross end in globules; later they are plain. Sometimes there is a pellet on the shaft of the cross. This is a survival of what was originally the lower terminal pellet of the cross, and its presence or absence was not intended to mark of separate groups of coins.

(c) Same as last, but IC XC in the field of the obverse. This and the next variety are very rare.

(d) Same as last, but I X instead of IC XC.

There are histamena and tetartera of most of these varieties, and it is evident that nomismata of the two standards went on being issued throughout the reign. The full histamena usually weigh c. 4.40g the tetartera between 4.10g and 4.20g. Isolated nomismata occur of very inferior weight, in the neighborhood of 3.70 g. It has been suggested that they represent the duo tetarton nomisma of the Book of the Prefect, but this is quite uncertain. The two specimens here are classed as tetartera (Nos. 6a.6-7), with a note calling attention to their exceptional character.

The miliaresion resembles that of Nicephorus Phocas, but the medallion with the emperor's bust is a circle instead of a quatrefoil and is placed centrally instead of rather high on the cross. The type is extraordinarily uniform, but there are small varieties of ornament. That placed above and below the obverse in inscription is usually — ⁘ —, but sometimes it is — ⁘ — and occasionally — + —. The ornament at the end of the reverse inscription also varies slightly: usually it is ꘎ , but sometimes there is a larger central pelet (✻) or six dots in a circle (...) or a six-pointed star (꘎). I doubt if these later variations were intentional. The die-sinker usually made the ornament by punching six small pits on the die and then joining them up, but sometimes he forgot to do this or added a further pit in the center. The distinction between — ⁘ — , — ⁘ — , and —+— seems more clear-cut and had presumably some meaning. The coins weigh normally between 2.5 g and 3.0 g, but well-preserved specimens rise as high as 3.3 g. Often they are badly clipped. Specimens of poor workmanship, notably in the design of the letters, are common, and the coin was evidently the subject of imitation, though not to the same degree as the miliaresion of Basil II.

John Zimisces’ introduction of the Anonymous Folles is discussed elsewhere (p. 634ff). Scylitzes seems to imply that it was effected in 972, but his reference to it occurs in the context of a general account of the emperor's religious activities, and since there are no Constantinopolitan folles bearing John’s name it is more reasonable to date the introduction of the new folles from 970. His Cherson coins are of the same general type as his predecessor's, with a monogram on either side.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Coinage