Gold Solidus of Constans II (641–68)

Unknown

654–659 · Gold · Medieval Art

A cross on steps is thought to represent the great cross that the emperor Theodosius II (r. 408–50) erected on Golgotha, the site of Christ's crucifixion. 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

654–659

Medium

Gold

Culture

Early Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904