Solidus of Heraclius, Heraclius Constantine, and Heraclonas

Unknown

638–641 · Gold · Medieval Art

Herakleios included his sons' portraits on his coins to ensure that his subjects would expect them to succeed him. Some of the earliest Arab coins minted in Syria in the later 600s mimicked his coins. Coins connected an emperor to his subjects. He paid the army in coins, received taxes in coins, and was responsible for maintaining their weight and purity. These coins of early Byzantine emperors conveyed imperial ideals through inscriptions and images.

Artist

Unknown

Date

638–641

Medium

Gold

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904