Leo

Intro ...

(717-741)

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CONSTANTINOPLE

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Constantinople mint. Sear 1502.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςч . (followed by officina letter). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Constantinople mint. Sear 1503.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςч . (followed by officina letter, followed by c). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Constantinople mint. Sear 1504.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar, followed by officina letter or pellet). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ∂ . ɴ . cᴏnsτᴀnτınч (or cᴏnsτᴀnτınч ᴍc or cᴏnsτᴀnτınчꜱ or cᴏnsτᴀnτınчꜱ ᴍ) (or similar) (sometimes followed by officina letter). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Semissis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1505.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςчꜱ . Cross potent on globus.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Semissis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1506.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: cᴏnsτᴀnτın . or cᴏnsτᴀnτınч . or cᴏnsτᴀnτınчꜱ ᴍ . (or similar; usually preceded by ∂. or ∂ . ɴ .) Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on globus and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1507.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςчꜱ . Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1508.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: cᴏnsτᴀnτın . or cᴏnsτᴀnτınч . or cᴏnsτᴀnτınчꜱ ᴍ . (or similar; usually preceded by ∂. or ∂ . ɴ .) Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on base and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV ½ Tremissis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1509.

Obv: ͻ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴍчʟ. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ∂ . cᴏnsτᴀnτınчꜱ. Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR Hexagram (?). Constantinople mint. Sear 1510.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςч . (followed by officina letter). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

Notes: same type as the solidus SB 1502, and struck with solidus dies.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR Hexagram (?). Constantinople mint. Sear 1511.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . Bust, three-quarter face right, with short beard, wearing plumed helmet and cuirass, and holding spear and shield.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςч . (followed by officina letter). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

Notes: struck with solidus dies, but with an obverse type which was not adopted for the gold, though it was used as a model for the copper.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR Miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1512.

Obv: ıҺsчs (or Һısчs) xʀısτчs nıcᴀ. Cross potent on three steps, triple border.

Rev: ʟєᴏn / s cᴏnsτ / ᴀnτınє є / c ⲑєч ьᴀ / ꜱıⳑıꜱ in five lines; triple border.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR Half miliaresion. Constantinople mint. Sear 1512ᴀ.

Obv: ıҺsчs (or Һısчs) xʀısτчs nıcᴀ. Cross potent on globe above three steps, double border.

Rev: ʟєᴏn / s cᴏnsτ / ᴀnτınє є / c ⲑєч ьᴀ / ꜱıⳑıꜱ in five lines; double border.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1513.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . Helmeted and cuirassed bust, holding spear and shield.

Rev: Large ᴍ between ᴀɴɴᴏ and xx; above, cross; beneath, officina letter; in exergue, ᴄᴏɴ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1513ᴀ.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . Leo standing facing, wearing crown and loros, and holding akakia and long cross.

Rev: Large ᴍ between ᴀɴɴᴏ and xx; above, cross; beneath, officina letter; in exergue, ᴄᴏɴ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1514.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or ᴍчʟ . ᴀ .) Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ∂ . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴчꜱ ᴍ . Bust of Constantine V, beardless, facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; all above an ornate horizontal bar, beneath which large ᴍ between ᴀɴɴ (or ᴀɴɴᴏ or ᴀᴀ) and xxx (or xx); beneath ᴍ, ᴀ (rarely ʙ or г); usually in field to right of bust, cross.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1515.

Obv: No legend. Facing busts of Leo III (left), wearing crown and chlamys, and Constantine V (right), wearing crown a loros; they hold between them, with their right hands, long cross potent.

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

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1516.

Obv: ʟєᴏɴ s cᴏn. Facing busts of Leo III (left) and Constantine V (right), both usually bearded (Constantine sometimes beardless), each wearing crown and chlamys, and holding akakia in right hand.

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

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Half follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1517.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . Bust, three-quarter face right, with short beard, wearing plumed helmet and cuirass, and holding spear and shield.

Rev: Large ᴋ between ᴀɴɴᴏ and xx or ıxx; above, cross; beneath, officina letter followed by star.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Half follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1517ᴀ.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . Leo standing facing, wearing crown and loros, and holding akakia and long cross.

Rev: Large ᴋ between ᴀɴɴᴏ and xx or ıxx; above, cross; beneath, officina letter.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Half follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1518.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or ᴍчʟ . ᴀ .) Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ∂ . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴчꜱ ᴍ . Bust of Constantine V, beardless, facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; all above an ornate horizontal bar, beneath which large ᴋ between ᴀᴀ and xx (sometimes positions are reversed); sometimes beneath ᴋ, officina letter ᴀ; usually in field to right of bust, cross.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Half follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1519.

Obv: No legend. Facing busts of Leo III (left), wearing crown and chlamys, and Constantine V (right), wearing crown a loros; they hold between them, with their right hands, long cross potent.

Rev: Large ᴋ between xxx and ɴɴɴ; above, cross; beneath, ᴀ or ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Half follis. Constantinople mint. Sear 1520.

Obv: ʟєᴏɴ s cᴏn. Facing busts of Leo III (left) and Constantine V (right), both usually bearded (Constantine sometimes beardless), each wearing crown and chlamys, and holding akakia in right hand.

Rev: Large ᴋ between xxx and ɴɴɴ; above, cross; beneath, ᴀ or ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Decanummium. Constantinople mint. Sear 1521.

Obv: ∂ . ɴ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (legend usually incomplete) Bust, three-quarter face right, with short beard, wearing plumed helmet and cuirass, and holding spear and shield.

Rev: Large ɪ between + / ꘎ and x / x (sometimes with a dash beneath); in exergue, cᴏɴ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Decanummium. Constantinople mint. Sear 1522.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or ᴍчʟ . ᴀ .) Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ∂ . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴчꜱ ᴍ . Bust of Constantine V, beardless, facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; all above an ornate horizontal bar, beneath which large ɪ between ᴀɴɴ and xx; beneath ɪ, ᴀ (rarely ʙ or г); in field to right of bust, cross.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Pentanummium. Constantinople mint. Sear 1522ᴀ.

Obv: No legend. Bust, three-quarter face right, with short beard, wearing plumed helmet and cuirass, and holding spear and shield.

Rev: Large є; to right, ᴀ.

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SARDINIA

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Sardinia mint. Sear 1522ʙ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴍ ʟєᴏɴ … (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠᴛᴏʀ . ᴀᴠςчs. Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field to right, s.

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SYRACUSE

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Syracuse mint. Sear 1523.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘє . ᴀ . (or ᴅ . ʟєᴏ ᴍᴠʟᴛ . ᴘє . ᴀ . ). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ ᴀᴠςч . (sometimes followed by star). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; sometimes in field to right, ᴘ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Syracuse mint. Sear 1524.

Obv: cɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Syracuse mint. Sear 1525.

Obv: cɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, c.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, ı.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Semissis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1526.

Obv: c . ɴ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍч . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, c.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on globus and akakia; in field to right, ı.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1527.

Obv: c . ɴ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍч . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, c.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on base and akakia; in field to right, ı.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1528.

Obv: c . ɴ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍч . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on base and akakia; in field to right, ı.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1528ᴀ.

Obv: c . ɴ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍч . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: c . ɴ . cᴏɴsτᴀnτıɴч .(or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent on base and akakia.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1528ʙ.

Obv: … ᴠʟчᴀ. Diademed bust right, wearing chlamys.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı . ᴀᴠςч . (followed by star). Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1529.

Obv: No legend. Leo III standing facing, wearing helmet and loros, and holding spear and globus cruciger.

Rev: Large ᴍ between two palms; above, monogram; in exergue, scʟ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1529ᴀ.

Obv: No legend. Facing busts of Leo III, bearded (left), and Constantine V, beardless (right), each wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger in right hand.

Rev: Large ᴍ; above, monogram; in exergue, scʟ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1530.

Obv: Legend normally illegible. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴅɴᴏ cᴏ …. Bust of Constantine V, beardless, facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; all above an ornate horizontal bar, beneath which large ᴍ between sc and ʟ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Æ Follis. Syracuse mint. Sear 1531.

Obv: Leo III, bearded, standing facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding akakia; to left ᴧєᴏɴ; to right, Δєcⲡ.

Rev: Constantine V, beardless, standing facing, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding akakia; to left, ᴋωɴs; to right, Δєcⲡ.

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ROME

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Rome mint. Sear 1532.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀ . (or ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı) ᴀςч . (or ᴀᴠςч or ᴀᴠς) (sometimes followed by star or г placed vertically). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field, ʟ—star or г—star or star— Δ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Rome mint. Sear 1533.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟє . (or ʟєᴏ or ʟєᴏɴ) ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴅɴᴏ cᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴛı (or cᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛı or cᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛıɴчs) (or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, star—Δ or є—star or star—ʜ or star—ⲑ or star—ı or ı—є/star or ᙅ— cross or star only, or nothing.

Notes: usually of debased metal.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Rome mint. Sear 1533ᴀ.

Obv: ∂ɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛ . ᴀᴠς . (followed by pellet). Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field, ʟ—star.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Rome mint. Sear 1534.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟє . (or ʟєᴏ or ʟєᴏɴ) ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴅɴᴏ cᴏɴᴛᴀɴᴛı (or cᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛı or cᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛıɴчs) (or similar, sometimes with star at the end of legend). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, ʀ—m or star—ʀ or star—ᴀ or star—г or star—Δ or star—є or star—ᴢ or star—ʜ or star—ⲑ or star—ı or ı—є/star or ᙅ— cross or star—star or one star only, or nothing.

Notes: usually of debased metal.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR ⅛ Siliqua or 30 nummi. Rome mint. Sear 1534ᴀ.

Obv: No legend. Bust facing, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys.

Rev: Monogram.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR ⅛ Siliqua or 30 nummi. Rome mint. Sear 1534ʙ.

Obv: Fragmentary legend. Bust facing, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, holding globus cruciger in right hand.

Rev: Monogram; in upper field to left, retrograde τ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AR ⅛ Siliqua or 30 nummi. Rome mint. Sear 1534ᴄ.

Obv: No legend. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger; in field to left and right, star.

Rev: Monogram of Pope Gregory III.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). Bl ¾ Follis. Rome mint. Sear 1534ᴅ.

Obv: No legend. Bust facing, of small neat style, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger.

Rev: xxx, sometimes with cross above; in exergue, ʀᴏm or mᴏя.

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UNCERTAIN ITALIAN MINTS

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1535.

Obv: ∂ . ɴ . ʟєᴏ ᴘєʀᴘ . (or ᴘєʀᴘᴇᴛччs). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı or ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ (followed by large ᴋ placed vertically). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

Notes: sometimes of debased metal (electrum) or even bronze.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1536.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏ ᴘᴘ . ᴀ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and loros, and holding globus cruciger.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀ . ᴀᴠςч . (or ᴀςч .) (followed by ፠ or ᴀ placed vertically). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field to right, star.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1537.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏ ᴘᴘ . ᴀ . (or similar). Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀ . (or ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı .) ᴀςч . (or ᴀᴠςч .) (followed by г or Δ placed vertically). Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; sometimes in field to right, star.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1537ᴀ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟєᴏ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent in right hand which is stretched across his chest.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı . ᴀᴠςч. Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴʙ beneath; in field, ᴀ—star.

Notes: Same type as the tremissis SB 1540ʙ.

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Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1537ʙ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍ . (or similar) Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴅɴᴏ cᴏɴᴛᴀɴ . ᴍ . (or similar). Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1537ᴄ.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, ᴧ.

Rev: ᴅ . cᴏɴꜱᴛı . Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, ᴋ.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Solidus. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1537ᴅ.

Obv: Legend obscure. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: . ɴ . cᴏɴꜱ ... Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; in field to right, ɴ.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1538.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀ . ᴀ . ᴀᴠꜱᴠ. Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field to right, ⲑ.

Notes: sometimes of debased metal (electrum) or even bronze.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1539.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏ ᴘ . ᴀ . Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and loros, and holding globus cruciger.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀıᴀ. Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field to right, star.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540.

Obv: ᴅ . ʟєᴏ. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛ · ʀıᴀ. Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540ᴀ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀ . ᴀςч . (followed by ⲡ placed vertically) Cross potent, cᴏɴᴏʙ beneath; in field to right, star.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540ʙ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟєᴏ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍчʟ. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent in right hand which is stretched across his chest.

Rev: ᴠıcᴛᴏʀı . ᴀᴠςч. Cross potent on three steps, cᴏɴʙ beneath; in field, ᴀ—star.

Notes: Same type as the solidus SB 1537ᴀ.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540ᴄ.

Obv: ᴅɴᴏ ʟєᴏɴ ᴘ . ᴀ . ᴍч. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: ᴅɴ . cᴏ …. . Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding cross potent.

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540ᴅ.

Obv: Blundered legend. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: Blundered legend. Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ɪ .

…

Leo III the Isaurian (717-741). AV Tremissis. Uncertain Italian mint. Sear 1540ᴇ.

Obv: Legend normally off flan. Bust facing, with short beard, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia.

Rev: Legend normally off flan. Facing bust of Constantine V, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, and holding globus cruciger and akakia; sometimes in field to right, ʟ .

…

BACKGROUND AND CHRONOLOGY

The reign of Leo III is one of the most important in Byzantine history. It brought to an end the succession of short reigns and recurrent military revolts that had characterized the two decades since the deposition of Justinian II in 695. Like Heraclius a century earlier, Leo was fortunate enough to found a dynasty, giving to the Empire the political and constitutional stability it normally possessed only when members of a single family occupied the throne for several generations. Leo had risen to power as general of the Anatolic theme, and his military and administrative abilities were apparent in many aspects of his subsequent government. His administrative and legal reforms, and in particular his publication of the Ecloga, were almost as important as his defense of Constantinople in the great siege of 717-18 and his later campaigns against the Saracens. Although his nickname, “the Saracen-minded”, reflected mainly the prejudices of those who detested his attitude toward images, the story of his early life shows him in constant diplomatic contact with the caliph or his representatives, and his introduction of the silver miliaresion, copied from the Arabic dirhem, is not the only evidence of his readiness to profit by imitating Saracen models. Since the history of the time was written by clerics, we have the impression that his reign was almost entirely dominated by the Iconoclastic controversy and the disturbances that followed his edict of 730 against images. This was in reality only one aspect of the policy of a great ruler whose energy and sound judgment were responsible for the restoration of the Byzantine State.

The dates of the reign are given differently in the sources and are not quite certain. According to Theophanes the emperor died on 18 June A.M. 6232, during the ninth indiction, i.e., 18 June 741, and this date seems preferable to 18 July, which is given in the Catalogus sepulchrorum but which may be a slip arising from the fact that the text has two “July” entries immediately following each other. Theophanes gives the length of the reign as 24 years 2 months 25 days, from his accession on 25 March of the fifth indiction, i.e. 717, and these dates are accepted by most modern scholars. The Chronographia attributed to Nicephorus, however, gives 25 years 3 months 14 days, which would place his accession on 4 March 716, and one is a litle suspicious of the date 25 March, since it was also that of Constantine's coronation and Theophanes might have made a mistake in his calculations. Neither 4 March nor 25 March agrees with the statement of the Catalogus that Theodosius I abdicated on 24 July, though they could be reconciled on the assumption that Leo’s proclamation by his troops occurred in March and that his reign was calculated from that date and not, as was the usual practice, from the imperial coronation in Constantinople. In view of the uncertainty, I give the currently accepted dates for the reign, without venturing to decide whether or not they are correct. Constantine V's dates are happily more secure. He was born in the autumn of 718 and baptized on Christmas Day, his mother Maria being given the rank of Augusta at the same time. The child was created co-Augustus by his father on Easter Day, 25 March 720, when less than two years old.

COINAGE: Main Features

Leo's coinage presents a number of problems, some as yet unsolved. The fundamental one is that of actually identifying the coins struck during his reign, a matter on which the standard reference works are all seriously astray.

The reign falls into two distinct periods, the three years 717-20 when Leo ruled alone and the two decades 720-41 when he ruled in nominal association with his son. The coinage of the first period has traditionally been augmented by the attribution to it of the whole of the coinage of the usurper Leontius (695-8). The attribution was due to the fact that Leontius used on his coins the name Leon, never his full name Leontius, but the attribution was nonetheless made in defiance of common sense, since the two series, the coins of Leontius and those really struck by Leo III,have entirely different imperial portraits. The mistake was corrected by Laffranchi in a masterly article published thirty years ago. The difficulties for the coinage of the period 720-41 arise in part from Constantine V's association of his deceased father with him on his own early coinage, so that one has sometimes difficulty in deciding which coins were struck just before and which just after 741, and in part from the fact that the combination of a senior emperor named Leo with a junior emperor named Constantine was to occur three times in the course of a century: Leo III and Constantine V (720-41), Leo IV and Constantine VI (775-80), and Leo V and Constantine (813-20). Sometimes the distinction between the coinages of the three reigns presents no problem. Only Leo IV could strike solidi with the effigies of several ancestors, and miliaresia giving the co-emperors the title of basileis Romaion must belong to Leo V, since this phrase was only introduced on the coinage by Leo V's predecessor Michael I. But in many cases the separation is far from easy. Stylistic criteria and even the portraiture of individual emperors are of little help, for the Isaurian and Amorian periods were ones of exceptional stylistic uniformity and almost the only difference between the representation of one ruler and that of another is that the senior is shown with a beard and mustache and the junior without them. For many Sicilian and Italian coins there is the further complication that the diameter of the flans was less than that of the dies, so that the inscriptions are largely off flan and one cannot always be sure that one is dealing at all with a Leo-Constantine combination.

Even allowing for these uncertainties, however, it is clear that Leo's role in the history of Byzantine coinage was much more important than was formerly supposed. On the gold, the practice was introduced of making the effigy of the junior colleague the main reverse type of the coin, instead of placing it beside that of the senior emperor on the obverse; it consequently displaced the cross potent which for over a century had been the normal reverse type. The custom of having a bust or similar figure on both sides of the gold coins evidently gave satisfaction and was to be the normal practice in the future, though whether the second effigy was that of a colleague, of a deceased predecessor, or of a religious personage would depend upon circumstances. In silver, Leo's reign saw the introduction of the thin, broad miliaresion which characterizes the middle Byzantine period. It was based in fabric and general design on the Muslim dirhem, but it took over for its reverse type the cross potent on steps which had been dropped from the gold. The “Victory” reference in its inscription (IhSЧS XRISτOS nICA) was also a conscious adaptation of the VICTORIA AVςЧ(sti) of the former solidus. In the first issue of copper coins (717-20), which are very rare, the decanummia are ordinarily overstruck on half folles of Leo's immediate predecessors, which suggests a revaluation of the solidus in terms of the follis. In 720 a new series of folles, half folles, and decanummia was introduced to celebrate the coronation of Constantine V. These followed the example of the gold in putting the effigy of Constantine on the reverse, but since the traditional M, K, and I were retained the bust of the infant emperor had to be placed above the mark of value. During the 720s, however, the revived follis underwent several reductions in weight, and when a further reform took place in the early 730s the follis and half follis reverted to the traditional design, with two busts side by side on the obverse and the mark of value on the reverse. The reverse type, however, included some innovations, for CON was omitted—since only one mint was by now active in the East, a mint-mark was superfluous—and there was no longer even the pretense of a date, the traditional ANNO and a numeral being replaced by a purely decorative XXX NNN. The number of officina letters was probably reduced, A, B, and Γ being the only ones recorded. On the gold there was even a period during which officina letters were dispensed with altogether.

The distinction between coins of Leontius and those of Leo III now presents no problems. Those of Leontius have a different portrait (fat, rounded face and short beard), a different costume (loros instead of chlamys), some difference in gesture and insignia (when Leontius has an akakia, he raises it above his right shoulder instead of holding it in front of his body), and a different inscription (D LЄON PЄ AV instead of DNO LЄON PA MЧL). A few anomalies exist—Leo III’s earliest solidi of Syracuse have a PE inscription, his earliest ones of Naples show him wearing a loros—but they create no serious difficulties.

The separation between the last coinages of Leo III and the first of Constantine V is more awkward, and discrepancies between the gold and the copper are hard to account for. Coins struck before and after 741 show equally the busts of Leo and Constantine, Leo being always bearded and Constantine sometimes so. The obvious solution would be to assign coins with a beardless Constantine to the reign of Leo, when he was still the junior emperor, and those with a bearded Constantine to his own reign. Such an arrangement gives a satisfactory pattern for the gold of Constantinople, where it is confirmed by a change in type, coins with a bearded Constantine showing each emperor holding a cross potent instead of a globus cruciger. But it will not do for the copper. Class 4a of Leo III's folles shows two busts, side by side, each holding an akakia, Leo being bearded and Constantine beardless; Class 4b shows the same two busts, but with Constantine bearded. Class 4b can scarcely be assigned to Constantine’s reign, however, for the inscription LЄON S CON places Leo first and implies that he is still alive; there are also folles of Constantine V alone, on which he is shown as much younger and still beardless. Mr. Veglery has suggested to me that the later coins might belong to Constantine VI, not to Constantine V at all,but folles which are indubitably of Constantine VI all show him associated with Irene, and Officina B does not appear to have survived as late as his reign. It is highly unlikely, however, that Constantine V should be shown first as bearded and subsequently as beardless on coins of his own reign. On those of diferent reigns, on the other hand, such a sequence, however unlikely in theory, could occur in practice; Heraclius Constantine had been shown as bearded on coins of the later years of Heraclius, while on solidi struck in 641, after his father’s death, he is beardless. The same apparently occurred here, and folles of Class 4b are better ascribed to Leo III's last years than to the reign of Constantine V.

So far as dating within the reign is concerned, there is not a great deal to go on. Coins of Leo alone belong to the years 717-20, those of Leo and Constantine to 720-41. Since Leo was already an adult at his accession, his bust remained unchanged throughout his reign, but Constantine is shown first as an infant, subsequently as a boy, and finally as a young man almost fully grown. Small changes also occurred in the inscriptions, the letter form 9 in the initial DN being altered, late in the reign, to 6, which continued under Artavasdus and Constantine V. Coins showing Constantine as an infant are rare and were probably issued only briefly, in 720. Coins showing him as a boy can be conjecturally assigned to the years 720-32, the terminal date being that of the young emperor's fourteenth birthday, when a young man was held by Roman law to have reached the age of puberty (aetas perfecta). For the date of the transition from the use of 3 to 6 we have no clues at all, but can perhaps place it c. 737. [VOL 3 page 228]

Wroth divided Leo's coins into five classes according to mint: Constantinopolitan, Provincial, Roman, Central and South Italian, and Ravennate. In each case it is necessary to eliminate the coins that belong to Leontius. For the rest, the identification of the first group presents no problem; the types and fabric of Constantinople are easy to recognize. The “Provincial” group is now assigned to Sicily, Syracuse being presumed as the mint. The coins of Rome are for the most part easy to identify, being very distinctive in style and RM being present on one occasion in the field, but a few of those assigned to Rome by Wroth are Sicilian and one is perhaps of Ravenna, “Central and South Italy” is still something of a problem. It includes a group which is, fairly certainly, Neapolitan, and some coins may belong to Ravenna, but isolated specimens remain uncertain. Wroth's only Ravennate coin is one of Leontius, but Sabatier published a follis of Ravenna which can be attributed with fair certainty to Leo III, and there is some gold that can be attributed to the mint. The Roman gold coins are heavily debased, but the coinage of the peninsula as a whole is surprisingly abundant and in no way reflects the political and religious difficulties which the Iconoclastic policy of the emperor created in the West.

The coinage of the various mints can be summarized as follows:

CONSTANTINOPLE

Constantinople was the chief mint throughout the reign, and the only mint in the East.

SOLIDI. Two main types of solidus were struck, one having on the reverse the traditional cross potent on steps and the other a bust of Constantine V. In reality they form three classes, the later coins of the second type being distinguished from earlier ones by a redrafting of the reverse inscription. Before the design of Class 1 was approved some preliminary patterns were made for a solidus with an armored and helmeted bust of the emperor. No strikes in gold are known, but the die or dies were used for ceremonial coins in silver (below, No. 20), and the obverse design was used for the first issue of copper coins of the reign (below, Nos. 24-27).

The obverse type of the three classes of solidus is invariably the facing bust of Leo III, wearing crown and chlamys, and the differentiation between the classes depends on the reverses.

1. Rev. type a cross potent on base and steps.

2. Rev. type the facing bust of Constantine V. The inscription begins δN, the form being consistent; Constantine's name normally breaks CONST ANT and is followed by an M; and the earlier coins have an officina letter after the M.

3. Same reverse type, but the bust of Constantine is older, the inscription normally begins δN instead of δN, the M is always absent, and Constantine's name breaks CON STANT.

Class I. This can be dated to the three years 717-20, and requires little comment. The obverse inscription reads δNDLЄO NPAMЧL. Wroth, I believe correctly, extended this D(omi)NO LЄON(i) P(erpetuo) A(ugusto) MUL(tos Annos). Since DN traditionally stood for Dominus Noster the opening letters could conceivably represent δ(omino) N(ostr)O, but there had been a tendency on late seventh-century coins to curtail the DN to D, and D(omi)NO is quite acceptable. Bellinger has objected that the third letter has the form D, not O, but this is sometimes found for O on other coins of the period. The solidi of Class III of Justinian II's first reign, for example, have the word Christos invariably spelled CRISTDS (see DOC, II. 105, 578ff). The only variants in the class are coins on which the officina letter is followed by the letter C, which has already appeared on coins of Theodosius III (see DOC, II. 113, 686).Its meaning is unknown.

Class II. This was issued over a period of some fifteen years, and can be broken down into several sub-classes. On coins of Class IIa, Constantine’s head is small, rounded, and childish in appearance, with the ears clearly visible above the curls of hair at either side of the head. On coins of Class IIb the face is slightly older and the hair covers the ears and falls on either side to the nape of the neck. Class IIc has a still older bust. All the coins have the reverse inscription δNCONST ANTINЧSM, which is usually followed either by an abbreviation mark having the form of a small C—it has sometimes been misread as the letter T—or by an officina letter. The officina letter is normally much smaller than the letters of the inscription and was evidently inserted after the main design of the coin had been cut. It seems likely that the type was originally intended for a temporary special issue struck on the occasion of Constantine's coronation, under which circumstances an officina letter might have been dispensed with. This had been done sometimes for special issues in the past, e.g. consular coins of Tiberius II (DOC, I. 268, No. 1). Only when the novel design became permanent was it thought desirable to revive officina letters, though in fact this was done only rather briefly. Since the M after Constantine’s name is occasionally extended to ML (below, No. 5.3) it is best interpreted as M(ultos Annos), despite the emperor's name being in the nominative case. That a meticulous observance of the rules of grammar is not to be expected at this period is shown by the occurrence of Artavasdos M(ultos Annos) on the solidi of Artavasdos.

Class III. This class has a larger and maturer bust of Constantine V, but is most easily distinguished from Class I by the omission of M after his name and by the inscription being divided CON STAN instead of CONST AN. There are two sub-classes. The earlier one (Class IIIa) has a slightly younger bust of Constantine, the hair coming straight down at the sides of his head instead of in two waves; it also retains the initial δ and the absence of officina letter characteristic of Class II. The later one (Class IIIb) has δ instead of δ and revives the use of officina letters, these being usually on Leo's side of the coin but sometimes on Constantine's as well. In the later case the officina letters on the two sides often differ from each other, presumably because a change in practice occurred while the class was being issued, and during the period when dies of the two groups were available the workmen did not trouble to ensure an exact correspondence between those which they were using. The δNCON STAN is sometimes preceded by a ligatured NC. or by CΓ. Their meaning is unknown, but NC sometimes occurs after the inscription on solidi of Constantine V.

SEMISSIS and TREMISSIS: The classes correspond to those of the solidus, but since there are no officina letters on the fractional gold there is no objective way of distinguishing between coins of Class IIb and those of Class IIc. It is necessary to rely upon the size and general appearance of the bust of Constantine, which is not always, when taken by itself, a very satisfactory criterion,

SILVER COINAGE: The only ceremonial coins of the old pattern belong to the very beginning of the reign. There are two types, one with a helmeted and armored bust which was evidently intended for a solidus but was never used for one, the other with the ordinary solidus obverse of Class I. The reverses are in both cases struck with normal solidus dies of Class I, and only the irregular edges of the flans show that we have to do with ceremonial coins, not counterfeit solidi. After 720 the traditional ceremonial types of silver coin were replaced by the new miliaresia, which with the passage of time came to be accepted as coins for daily use.

The normal silver coins of the reign are the miliaresia bearing the names of Leo and Constantine and introduced after the association of the latter as co-emperor in 720. There is no formal evidence that they go back to this date, but since in subsequent reigns, for the next hundred years, miliaresia were struck only when there were two emperors, itisnatural to suppose that they were in each case issued when such coins would have been first required, for distribution on the occasion of a junior emperor's coronation.

The design of the miliaresion, which remained essentially unchanged for a century after its creation, consisted of an obverse bearing an inscription in several lines giving the names of the reigning emperors, followed by ЄC ΘЄЧ bASILIS, i.e. έκ θεοῦ βασιλεῖς “emperors in God”, and a reverse bearing a cross potent on base and steps with the inscription, in a mixture involving Greek and Latin elements, reading IhSЧS XRISTЧS NICA, “Jesus Christ conquers.” On each side there is a triple border of dots. The variations in detail, on the coins attributable to Leo III, require little comment. “Jesus” is sometimes spelled hISЧS instead of IhSЧS, not apparently as the result of the two letters being interchanged but through a genuine confusion between eta and iota. On coins of what appears to be the earliest group there are two slightly larger dots, close together, on the innermost dotted circle just under the steps of the cross. A pellet sometimes follows the obverse inscription. There are some rare coins on which a rosette follows the inscription and there are four rosettes on the innermost circle of dots on the obverse. There seem to be clear cases in which the number of circles round the circumference is two instead of the customary three, These variants, however, can only be recorded; their purpose, if indeed they had any, is unknown.

Under Leo III, but under none of his successors til the eleventh century, a fractional silver coinage was struck. It apparently did not prove a success and only two specimens are known (below, No.23). The weight is low for a half miliaresion, but the coin is too heavy to be a third. The design is similar to that of the full miliaresion, but the cross stands on a globe instead of on a flat base—there is an obvious parallel with the design of the semissis—and there are only two borders of dots instead of three.

Wroth followed Sabatier in inaugurating the series of miliaresia with Constantine V, or rather, since Constantine's coins are all struck in association with Leo IV and must therefore date from 751 or later, with Artavasdus and Nicephorus, whose coins belong to 742-3. It is inherently more likely, however, that they would date from Leo III, and it is now generally agreed that some of the coins formerly attributed to Leo IV must be moved back to the reign of his grandfather. The distinction between the coins of the two emperors depends on the shape of the cross potent. On Leo III's coins it is tall and narrow, like that of the solidus type from which it derived, and has long vertical bars at the ends of the cross-arm, while on Leo IV’s coins it is shorter with a broader cross-arm and short ends. Only in extreme cases, however, is the distinction easy to make; often one is left in doubt as to which reign particular coins should best be assigned. The general design of the miliaresion is based on the Arabic dirhem, the elements common to both being the broad, thin flan, contrasting with the thicker and heavier hexagrams of the Heraclian period, the epigraphic character of the obverse type, with an inscription in several lines across the face of the coin, and the triple border of dots. They are independent in weight, however, so that when miliaresia are overstruck on dirhems, as is sometimes thecase,thelaterhave had to be cut down for the purpose.

COPPER COINAGE: Wroth attributed to Leo III, on the authority of Sabatier, only a single follis and a single half follis, but both of these were coins of Leontius, and the copper coinage of the reign has to be disentangled from that formerly ascribed to Constantine V and Leo V. Four classes were struck, the fourth subdividing into two according to whether Constantine is shown as beardless or bearded. Their main characteristics are as follows:

Class 1. 717-20. Folles, half folles, decanummia. Obv. Armored bust. Rev. Mark of value accompanied by date XX or XXI, withCON on follis and decanummium. This type was unknown until fairly recently. Sixteen specimens of the decanummium, found in American excavations in the Athenian Agora, were published by Miss Thompson in 1940, with a number of other small copper coins of the same period, and more were found subsequently. Despite their poor condition, the very fragmentary character of their inscriptions, and their novel type, they could be attributed with certainty to Leo III, for almost all were overstruck on half folles of Anastasius II (713-16), Philippicus (711-13), or the second reign of Justinian II (705-1). Specimens of the corresponding follis and half follis have only come to light during the preparation of this catalogue. The obverse type is that of the armored bust used on the ceremonial silver coin alluded to above and apparently first intended for solidi. The reverse types are copied from those of the first year of Justinian II’s second reign, though the dates (Regnal Years 20 and 21) were quite irrelevant to that of an issue in the early years of Leo III. The coins can be dated to 717-20, those with a star beside the officina letter or to the left of the mark of value belonging perhaps to 718. Their large size—the decanummia are as big as many of Leo's later folles—and the change in value implied by the frequent overstriking of the decanummia on half folles of preceding emperors suggest that Leo intended to carry out a monetary reform like that attempted under Constantine IV, an aspiration emphasized by the revival of the armored bust used by the later.

Class 2. 720-732? Foles, half folles, decanummia. Obv. Bust of Leo III wearing chlamys. Rev. Mark of value flanked by ANN (vertically) and XX (vertically) beneath an ornate bar, above which is a bust of Constantine V. These coins were assigned by Wroth and other scholars to Constantine V's reign, but the bust of this emperor is often infantile and there can be no doubt that they belong to the reign of Leo. In design they are the counterparts of the solidi, but since the marks of value differentiating the several denominations of the copper were large numerals, not,asonthegold,varyingforms of a cross potent, the details of the reverse designs had to be differently arranged. Wroth suggested that the decorated bar was intended to show the child emperor seated or standing on a balcony, as he in fact would have been at his crowning in the Tribunal of the Nineteen Couches in the Palace. The meaningless Year XX is carried over from the preceding class; the figure never seems to be XXX, as given by Wroth and as I had assumed it to be in my earlier article. The crowding of the reverse type led to the omission of CON beneath the M on the follis, and once having been dropped it was never restored. Three subdivisions of the class can be made. The first, Class 2a, consists of very large coins—the folles weigh c.10g and are c.25mm in diameter—with an infantile bust of Constantine usually corresponding to that of Class IIa of the gold. They can be dated 720-c.721, their exceptionally large size being in part due to the fact that they were intended to celebrate Constantine's association as co-emperor. Classes 2b and 2c are much smaller, weighing c.4.5 g and c.3.5 g. respectively, but since the weights of individual specimens of the two classes overlap and little care was taken in using the correct obverse dies for each denomination, they are not always easy to separate from each other. A distinguishing detail seems to be the form of the decorated bar beneath the bust, for that, on coins of Class 2b, as on those of Class 2a, is thick and ornate, while that on Class 2c is no more than a straight or dotted line. The officina letter is normally A, but B also occurs and one instance of Γ in Class 2a has been recorded, though whether this continued for Classes 2b and 2c is unknown. The dating is uncertain. If Class 3 can be dated 732 one can presume c.721-c.725 for Class 2b and c.725-732 for Class 2c. The changes in weight presumably had economic implications, but we have no idea of how, at this time, the follis was reckoned in relation to the solidus.

Class 3. 732(?). Folles, half folles. Obv. Busts of Leo III (wearing chlamys) and Constantine (wearing loros) side by side, holding jointly in their right hands a cross potent. Rev. Mark of value between XXX (vertically) and NNN (vertically). Coins of this type, which are very rare and have no obverse inscription, have been doubtfully attributed to Justinian II and Tiberius (Bertelè, Miss Thompson) and to Leo V and Constantine (Tolstoi). A date as early as Justinian II is excluded by the absence of CON and the use of the XXX NNN formula, a date as late as Leo V by the general appearance of the coins and by the fact of their being sometimes of Officina B, which had disappeared well before the end of the eighth century. The reign of Artavasdus and Nicephorus, an obvious possibility, is excluded by their being frequently overstruck by coins of Class 4b. This seems to determine their place in Leo III’s reign, and I would tentatively assign them to 732, when Constantine attained his legal majority at the age of fourteen. The XXX NNN is a purely decorative development arising from the fact that the mark of value had now been restored to its original size, but that, although there was space on either side of it, a revival of the practice of dating was felt to be pointless. There seems no reason to accept the suggestion of Lambros and Wroth that XXX NNN stood for Χριστòς νίκα, thrice repeated.

Class 4. 732(?)-741. Folles, half folles, decanummia. Obv. Busts of Leo III and Constantine facing, each wearing chlamys and holding an akakia. Rev. As Class 3. There are two subdivisions to this class. On coins of Class 4a, which seems to be the rarer of the two, Constantine is represented as beardless and the inscription starts at the top of the coin, between the emperors’ heads, and is divided LЄON S CON. On coins of Class 4b Constantine is bearded and the inscription starts to the left, the normal division and reading being LЄ ONS CON. The varying arrangement of the inscription is without significance in itself, but it shows that the moneyers had been provided with a new model and followed it very closely. A noticeable feature in both cases is the omission of any DN before or PA MЧL after the emperors’ names. Here again, once a breach with the past had been made with the inscriptionless Class 3, there was no necessary return to the full traditional practice when an inscription was revived on Class 4, but to only as much of it as was felt to be still useful. As for the chronology of the class, the dates suggested in the text (732[?]-c.735, c.735-41) are no more than approximations.

SICILY

Gold and copper continued to be struck in Sicily under Leo III, but the identification of the gold is less simple than for earlier emperors. This is not true of the copper, for although there were two considerable changes in type and fabric during the reign, the first and second classes of coin retained the mint-mark SCL and the third, which Wroth described as “Provincial” but which is now attributed to Sicily on the basis of find evidence, inaugurated a general type which was to be used for the next half century. The second and third types indicate a tendency to refer to Constantinopolitan models which had been conspicuously absent from the very varied coinage of the island under Leo’s predecessors. The gold is more of a problem, for like the copper, it abandons certain traditional features—notably the linear border and its use of horizontally distorted letter forms—and there is at the same time no mint-mark to provide a definite localization for the new types. Provenance and stylistic resemblance to the copper coins are in consequence our only guides.

The gold coinage forms three classes:
Class I. 717-720. Solidi. Obv. Facing bust of Leo. Rev. Cross potent on steps, P in right field, star at end of inscription. This requires no comment. The reverse type is identical with that of Theodosius III (DOC, II. 668, No.7), though the meaning of the P and the star are unknown. The coin is characteristically Sicilian in style and fabric. Only the solidus is recorded, but semisses and tremisses were probably struck.

Class II. 720-c.735. Solidi, semisses, tremisses. Obv. Bust of Leo III, Rev. Bust of Constantine V. The type is that of Class II of Constantinople, the bust of Constantine corresponding to that of Class IIb but the fabric and style being quite different. The traditional linear border of Sicilian gold has been abandoned and the letters of the inscriptions are small, irregular, and badly formed. The rough edges and general appearance of the coins, together with the close resemblance of the busts to those on Class 2 of the Sicilian copper, justify Ricotti’s attribution to Sicily.

Class III. c.735-741. Solidi, semisses, tremisses. Type similar to the last, but of much superior style, with an older bust of Constantine and the inscription beginning δ. There are two main subdivisions to this class, one with C in the obverse field and I in the reverse field, the other with no letter in either field, but mules between the two classes occur and there are consequently coins having a letter in one field only. The class is very uniform stylistically, and specimens are not uncommon. Wroth attributed it to Rome, but the coins are of quite different style and fabric from those of that mint, besides being of good quality gold. Ricotti does not claim them for Sicily, but the attribution seems to me fairly certain. The portraiture corresponds very closely to that of the last class of Leo's Sicilian copper, the attribution of which seems assured, and the C and I in the obverse and reverse fields of the earliest coins in the class are best interpreted as CI(κελία). The shift from the Latin SCL to a Greek form is paralleled by the Greek inscriptions ΛЄON and KωNS ΔЄCΠ on the copper, while CIK itself occurs as a mint-mark on Sicilian material later in the century.

COPPER COINAGE. The follis was the only denomination struck, and Leo's reign marks the passage from a general type which had dominated Sicilian coinage since the reign of Constans II to that which was to be characteristic of it during the next half century. Sandwiched between them was a type copied directly from that of Constantinople in the 720's. The main features of the four classes are as follows:

Class 1. 717-720. Obv. Standing figure of Leo III. Rev. Large M between two branches, with monogram above and SCL in exergue. This type requires little comment, since it differs in no essential features from those of Leo’s predecessors. Leo is shown helmeted, as on the Class 1 of Constantinople. Leo's monogram closely resembles that of Anastasius II (see DOC, II. 111, 679), but the letters to the left and right of the cross are Λ and Є respectively, not A and C.

Class 2, 720. Obv. Facing busts of Leo III and Constantine V. Rev. Same as Class 1. The existence of this class is known from a single specimen. The obverse type is the traditional method of showing two co-emperors, while the reverse carries on that of the preceding class. One may assume that the coins were struck when the news of Constantine’s coronation reached Sicily, but before any specimens of the new Constantinopolitan coins were available for imitation.

Class 3. 721-c.730. Obv. Facing bust of Leo III. Rev. Facing bust of Constantine V above an M, on either side of which are SC L. This is a direct imitation of the Constantinopolitan issue which began in 720, but even the largest coins have a bust of Constantine corresponding to that of the Constantinopolitan solidi of Class IIb, not those of Class IIa, so it evidently started a little later. Marked reductions in size and weight occurred during the period of issue as they did at Constantinople, the earliest coins being c.30mm in diameter and weighing c.6g, the smallest being c.15mm and weighing c.2g.

Class 4. c.731-741. Obv. Standing figure of Leo III, bearded, wearing chlamys and holding an akakia, between ΛЄON and ΔЄCΠ inscribed verticaly. Rev. A similar figure of Constantine, beardless, between KωNS and ΔЄCΠ (vertically). This type is peculiar to Sicily and different from anything struck in the East, but is not quite as original as appears at first sight. Its essential aspects are derivative, the Sicilian contribution being a preference for a standing figure as the type, the Constantinopolitan one being the placing of the junior emperor on the reverse and the representation of each emperor wearing a chlamys and holding an akakia, both features being taken from Class 4 of Leo's folles of Constantinople. The copying of a standing figure from a type with a bust is probably the explanation of the distorted proportions of the Sicilian designs, with huge heads perched on minuscule bodies. Innovations, on the other hand, are the absence of any mark of value and any indication of where the coins were struck, as well as the use of the Greek title ΔЄCΠ(óτης) for the first time in Byzantine numismatics. The one parallels the dropping of CON at Constantinople and the other makes good the abandonment of DN at the same mint, besides being a testimony to the strength of the Greek element in southern Italy and Sicily. This had been greatly strengthened during the preceding half century through the arrival of Greek-speaking refugees from the Balkans. Leo's transfer of these provinces from the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Rome to that of Constantinople must also have had its repercussions outside the purely ecclesiastical sphere.

NAPLES

The coinage of Naples under Leo III was limited to solidi and tremisses of base gold. They have no specific mint-mark, but carry on stylistically from the Neapolitan coins of the late seventh and early eighth centuries. The gold is also of the same slightly greenish tinge and the surface rather soapy to the touch. Besides the general similarity in style and fabric, the earlier issues of Leo III have a six-pointed star in the reverse field, which carries on the star that terminated the reverse inscriptions under Tiberius III, Anastasius II, and Theodosius III. Class III, which resembles the earlier coins in fabric but differs from them somewhat in style, shows a relatively mature bust of Constantine V and must date from late in the reign. It is peculiar in having Λ (for Λέων) and K (for Κωνσταντῖνος) in the reverse field, both letters being unnecessary in view of the fact that the busts are already identified by the inscription.

A half follis having a facing bust wearing a chlamys and an inscription read as Nδ ΛЄO was published by Cordero di San Quintino and reproduced by Sambon in his study of the coinage of Naples. Its large size and the fact that it is more or less circular and not rectangular in shape make it more likely that it is a misread specimen of the half follis of Constantine IV (DOC, II. 572, No. 79 bis).

ROME

The coinage of Rome during Leo's reign consisted almost entirely of gold, apparently struck in fair quantity. The coins are of very poor quality, usually greyish yellow or greyish black in color, and are, in general, little worn, as if they circulated on only a limited scale. No analyses are available, but on the evidence of color many of the coins must be only eight carats fine or less; some appear to contain no gold at all. They are stylistically very uniform, with simplified and highly stylized portraits and very characteristic letter forms, notably a T with an abnormally elongated upper bar. Though RM occurs in the field on only one variety of tremisis, the general resemblance between the coins is so strong that their attribution is rarely in doubt. No semisses were struck, and after 720 the solidi and tremisses are identical in type and differentiated from each other only in size.

Coins of Leo alone (717-20) are rare. There are two varieties, one with L⁕ and the other with Δ⁕ in the reverse field. They follow on naturally from the solidi and tremisses of Theodosius III, under whom L⁕ also occurs.

The coins of Leo and Constantine (720-41) are fairly common, but are difficult to classify satisfactorily. Almost all have symbols in the reverse field: one star, two stars, RM, a star and one or two letters, two stars and a letter, or a letter and a cross. Only the earliest and the latest coins among them can be dated with any certainty. The earliest, with one star in the field, have a bust of Leo closely resembling that of the coins of 717-20 and one of Constantine copied from the Constantinopolitan solidi of 720 (Class IIa).The latest, with two stars in the field, have busts identical in style with those of Artavasdus and Nicephorus (742/3), both sets of coins having also two stars in the field.

Between these two extremes the remaining coins can be arranged in rough chronological order, determined partly by stylistic considerations, partly by the color of the metal, and partly in accordance with the sequence of letters on the assumption that these follow one another in alphabetical order. But there are some irregularities in the stylistic pattern, color is not a very reliable guide to fineness, and a satisfactory explanation for the letters has still to be found. Since these go up to IЄ, i.e. 15, one would expect them to stand for indictions, with coins of Indiction 15 belonging to 731/2 and the others earlier or later. Such an arrangement, however, presents a number of difficulties. Coins with the letters A-Γ, for example, would have to belong to the 730’s, since Indictions 1-3 in the preceding cycle antedated the association of Constantine as Augustus in 720, while the evidence of style suggests that they are earlier; they have a bust of Leo different from that of all the later coins, when his mustache is represented as a straight line from one side to the other of an oval-shaped face. At present I see no satisfactory solution to the problem, and the arrangement of sub-classes in the catalogue (Nos. 66-91) must be regarded as only provisional, though it probably corresponds approximately to the order of issue. For some varieties only solidi are known, for others only tremisses, but since the missing items will probably turn up in due course, it is convenient, for purposes of reference, to provide a system of numbering which is the same for the two denominations.

Only one type of silver coin was struck at Rome. The obverse shows the imperial bust between two stars, while the reverse is remarkable in having as its type what is virtually a papal monogram, the letters GRЄO (for GRЄGORius) at the ends of the arms of a cross. The coin has been very variously attributed: to Gregory, exarch of Africa, who revolted against Constans II in 647; to Duke Gregory of Benevento (732-9); and, as here, to Pope Gregory I (731-41) in association with Leo III. The first of these is impossible, since the coin is eighth-century in style and fabric, and the second highly unlikely, since the style is not in the least Beneventan and no silver coins of Benevento are known before Grimoald I introduced denarii of Frankish pattern after 788. The style is that of the mint of Rome in the second quarter of the eighth century and the portrait that of Leo III toward the end of his reign; the two stars, indeed, suggest that the coin may have been struck in 740/1, at the same time as the tremissis No. 91. This means that the “monogram”’ must be that of Pope Gregory III (731-41), not Gregory II (715-31). Its presence on a coin is a remarkable symbol of papal independence, and makes one suspect that some of the unexplained letters in the field of Italian coins of the late seventh and early eighth centuries may be the initials of imperial officials.

The only copper coin attributable to Rome is a rare thirty nummus piece with a facing head, beardless, on the obverse, and XXX, with ROM in the exergue, on the reverse (below, No. 93). It belongs to a group of coins which can be dated c.690-c.720, and the extremely close resemblance of the broad, childish face and rounded chin to the portrait of the infant Constantine V on some of Leo's tremisses of the early 720's (below, Nos. 76, 7) leads me to attribute it to Leo III’s reign. It is odd that such a coin should have Constantine’s portrait and not Leo's, but the anomaly could perhaps be explained if it initially represented a special issue in honor of the new Augustus.

It seems to me possible that a coin of the same type and fabric, but with an older bust, should be attributed to Leo III rather than to the first reign of Justinian II, but without further evidence one would not be justified in altering the accepted classification.

A surprising feature of the coinage of Rome is that its existence seems to have been unaffected by the political difficulties of Leo's reign in Italy, first the revolt caused by his heavy taxation and subsequently the long-drawn-out acerbities of the Iconoclastic dispute. Despite the continued presence of imperial officials, effective control over the city was by now almost completely in papal hands. Only a few years earlier the Monothelete leanings of Philippicus had resulted in a refusal at Rome to strike coins bearing the emperor's effigy. Now things went differently; the Lombard peril was so serious that however outrageous an emperor's conduct might be, no pope with any claims to farsightedness could lightly permit any weakening of the political link with Byzantium. Gregory II actively discouraged a movement to elect a rival emperor and send him to Constantinople, on the grounds that Leo might still be converted to better ways of thinking, and even after the exarch Eutychius’ attempt on his life he urged the Roman people to remain loyal to the Empire. Papal documents continued to be dated by the regnal years of “the most pious emperors” Leo and Constantine. These are facts which go far to discount the authenticity of Gregory's two famous letters to Leo: these represented the terms which the papal chancery would like to have used rather than anything actually sealed and dispatched. It is possible, however, that the quite unprecedented debasement of the coinage may have been an indirect result of the quarrel, for Leo's confiscation of the revenues of the papal domains in South Italy and Sicily, which were reckoned to be worth annually three and a half talents of gold, i.e. 350 pounds or over 25,000 solidi, must have seriously reduced the supplies of bullion available in the city.

RAVENNA

The only coin attributed by Wroth to the mint of Ravenna under Leo III is a follis of Leontius (p.377, No.72, Pl. XLIII. 21). The CNI (vol. X, p.680) likewise lists only foles. Two of its entries (Nos. 1, 2) represent coins of Leontius; they refer, in fact, to a single specimen, that in the British Museum. No. 3 is taken from Sabatier (PI. XXXIX. 19) and shows on the obverse a bust wearing a chlamys and an inscription read as LЄO NPAMЧL; it may possibly be of Leo III, but without having examined it—Sabatier does not give its whereabouts—one cannot be sure. No.4, which the CNI illustrates (Pl. XLIII. 15), seems to have a bust holding a spear in front, which would make it a follis of Tiberius III like that in DOC, II, Pl. XLII. 48.1.

Three tremisses can be assigned to Ravenna with some confidence:

1. A coin in the British Museum of Leo III alone, with Θ in the reverse field. The style of the bust is the same as that of occasional issues ascribed to Ravenna in preceding reigns, as can be seen in Laffranchi’s illustration of the sequence, and Θ is a common symbol on Ravennate coins.

2. Another coin in the British Museum, having a bust of Leo III on the obverse and a very early one of Constantine V on the reverse. It goes stylistically with the preceding coin.

3. A coin of Leo III and Constantine V (older bust) published by Penon. It has a large I in the reverse field, and since it links up with a series of dated coins of Constantine V which can be assigned to Ravenna with certainty—it may indeed have been found with them—it must belong to the same mint. The letters in the reverse fields of Constantine's coins are those of a number of indictions in the 740s, so the I on Leo’s coin should date it to the tenth indiction, i.e., to 741/2. This indiction did not start till two months after Leo's death, but since the news would have taken at least this long to reach Ravenna the coin could have been struck in the last months of 741.

Uncertain Italian Mints

There remain a number of coins of Leo III alone, or of Leo III and Constantine V, which are certainly of Italian origin but which cannot be easily fitted into the stylistic pattern of the issues of Syracuse, Naples, Rome, and Ravenna. Some of them are catalogued below, Nos. 97ff., but the list is practically limited to those here or in the British Museum, or in Tolstoi, and so is far from complete. It could have been extended without difficulty, but in the present state of our knowledge it seemed pointless to add to it a further series of stylistically unrelated pieces from various sources. The proper study of these coins, which could only be undertaken after a systematic search for material in Italian and other collections, is a task for the future. Only such a study will disclose how many of the coins are the products of known mints but not easily assignable to them on account of vagaries of style—one probably anticipates too high a degree of stylistic uniformity in a mint, particularly in the conditions of eighth-century Italy—how many others are the products of temporary mints whose existence is not at present suspected, and how many are no more than contemporary counterfeits.

(from DOC vol. lll)

Coinage