Byzantine coinage
The Byzantine currency, so the money that was used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, consisted essentially of two types of coins: the gold solidus and a variety of bronze coins.
The subject Byzantine Numismatics traditionally begins with the currency reform of the Eastern Roman - Byzantine Emperor Anastasius in 498, of the coinage of the late Roman Empire, which consisted of the gold solidus and the bronze Nummi, reformed. He referred to a reform that had the Vandal king Gunthamund successfully carried out recently. The old Nummi had been extremely small bronze coins of 8-10 millimeters in diameter, which were inconvenient to handle, because even for a large number of smaller transactions was required of them. The new bronze coins had the nominal 40 Nummi Nummi 20, 10 Nummi Nummi and 5 (other values were at times also produced). The face side of these coins contained a highly stylized portrait of the Emperor, the back of the declaration of value according to the Greek Numeralen: M = 40, K = 20, I = 10, E = 5 Silver coins were rarely beaten.
The only halfway regularly issued silver coin was the Miliaresion coined in various subtleties weighing usually 7.5 to 8.6 grams. The Miliaresion there was from the 6th century, and he seems to have been in use from the 7th to the 9th century. Smaller transactions were carried out even in this time with bronze coins.
Not affected by the reform was the gold standard: the late antique solidus remained the standard for international trade to the 11th century, from about 1030 until he by the emperors, beginning with Romanos III. (reigned 1028-1034 ) was steadily deteriorating. Up to this time, the gold content was consistently 955-980 thousand. Under Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas was a solidus with 11/12 of the usual weight ( see below) issued in parallel with the full Solidus, both preserved the gold content; the point of this change lay in the ( failed ) attempt to bring the market to accept the underweight coins to the value of the old solidus. The lighter coin was called tetarteron, the full weight Histamenon or (Hi) stamenon nomisma. She was the Byzantine gold coin standard under Nikephoros II Phokas and went 963-969 in place of the solidus. She weighed 4.4 to 4.5 g, the order 1/12 lighter gold coin tetarteron nomisma, 4.05 g equal Originally looking both coinage later distinguished externally. In contrast to the slightly smaller and thicker tetarteron ( unpopular issued only rarely new in the 10th century ) were issued the Histamena (plural of Histamenon ) with increasing diameter and developed into bowl-shaped domed coins. Prior to the mid-11th century worsened their fineness. They were issued in the 80s as electron. The Monetary Reform ( 1092 ) under Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081-1118 ) solved the Histamenon by the Hyperpyron ( nomisma ) as the standard gold coin from (see below).
The solidus weighed about 4.48 to 4.6 g and was the model for the Islamic Dinar ( whose name is also applied to the silver dinar weighing approximately 1.5 grams, which was struck in imitation of the Roman denarius, which in Middle East was widespread ) and later also by Venetian and other northern Italian coins.
At the time of the Emperor Romanus IV ( ruled 1068-1071 ) the solidus had been degraded to a gold content of only 15 percent. Under Alexius I (reigned 1081-1118 ), the deteriorated solidus or Histamenon were abolished, and a new gold coin with a grade of initially 900 to 950 thousandths introduced ( 21.6 to 22.8 carats), the Hyperpyron. He weighed as the solidus 4.5 g, was slightly smaller in diameter and had later a fineness of 21 carats alloy according to a ratio of 21 parts of gold to 3 parts other metal ( 875/1000 ). The Hyperpyron remained until the end of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 in circulation, though he has also frequently deteriorated in the second half of the 14th century. After 1400, the Byzantine coins were meaningless, at their place, Italian coins as the predominant means of payment.
The Byzantine monetary system was changed during the 7th century, when the 40 Nummi ( Follis ), now significantly smaller, the only bronze coin was, which was not issued regularly. Although Justinian II (reigned 695 and 705-711 ) tried to restore the size of the Follis from the time of Justinian I, he became over time increasingly smaller. In the 10th century so-called " anonymous folles " were struck instead of the earlier coins that showed the image of the emperor. The " anonymous folles " showed on the face side the bust of Jesus and the inscription XRISTUS / BASILEU / BASILE " ( Christ, King of Kings) (see also: Iconoclasm ( iconoclasm ) ).
Later goblet-shaped coins, called Trachi, both of electrum ( gold degraded ) and from Billon ( degraded silver ) were minted. The exact reason for the issuance of such coins is not known but it is believed that they could be stacked just easier. See also: Roman currency