Solidus of Justinian II

For this blog post on objects of power, I have chosen to describe a gold solidus from the reign of the Byzantine Justinian II. Justinian, who was exiled and then came back to power, ruled from 685-695 and from 705-711. This coin comes from the second period of his reign. On the obverse side is Christ with the Cross behind him, and he is surrounded by the inscription “DN IHS CHS REX REGNANTIUM” (“The Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings”).¹ On the reverse side is a bearded Justinian holding a cross as well as an orb, with what appears to be a crown on his head. The text on the perimeter of this side says “DN IUSTINIANUS MULTUS AN” (seemingly a wish that Justinian rules for many years).² Moreover, the word “PAX” (“peace”) is inscribed on the orb.

I chose this object because I thought it was fascinating how much I could tell about the Byzantine ruler’s values (at least, the ones he wanted to project) from looking at just one coin. Evidently, piety and Christian virtue are of the utmost importance for Justinian. He holds a Cross in one of his hands, grasping it as if to keep his faith close by him. Moreover, he is mirrored on the opposite side of the coin by Christ. This, perhaps, is an indication of the divine nature of Byzantine kingship. In fact, these religious motifs are tied to another value: humility before God. The “King of Kings” inscription on the obverse side is a reminder that though a king on earth, Justinian is still a subject of the heavenly powers. In addition, the orb in Justinian’s hand with “peace” written on it suggests that Justinian is in firm control over all of his dominion and that he maintains order within it. One final thing to note is the presence of a beard on Justinian. This may simply serve to portray his actual appearance, but it may also play a legitimizing role by showing he is a mature adult who is fit to rule.

¹http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07421a.htm

²https://books.google.com/books?id=kuWm7jVWFiEC&q=iustinianus#v=onepage&q&f=false