List of Byzantine mints
Encyclopedia
The East Roman or Byzantine Empire
(330–1453) operated a number of mint
s throughout its history. Aside from the main metropolitan mints in the capital, Constantinople
, and other major cities, a varying number of provincial mints were also established in provincial urban centres, especially during the 6th century. Most provincial mints except for Syracuse were closed or lost by the mid-7th century. After the loss of Syracuse in 878, Constantinople became the sole mint for gold and silver coinage until the late 11th century, when major provincial mints begin to re-appear. Many mints, both imperial and, as the Byzantine world fragmented, belonging to autonomous local rulers, were operated in the 12th–14th centuries. Constantinople and Trebizond, the seat of the independent Empire of Trebizond
, survived until their conquest by the Ottoman Turks
in the mid-15th century.
mint network was reorganized and centralized by Emperor Diocletian
at the end of the 3rd century, parallel to the concurrent restructuring of the Empire's provincial
and fiscal administration
. The mints were limited to one per diocese
(except for a few exceptions) and placed under the dual control of the praetorian prefecture
s and the comes sacrarum largitionum
. During the next two centuries, some mints were closed and others opened as fiscal necessity or administrative changes dictated. In addition, the various emperors had mints attached to their retinue (comitatus) which followed them on their journeys and campaigns throughout the Empire. After a law promulgated in 366/369, the minting of precious-metal coins was confined to these comitatensian mints, either from a permanent base or by making use of the regional mints nearest to the current location of the emperor and his comitatus. Otherwise, regional mints were mostly limited to issuing base-metal coins.
During the course of the 5th century, this system collapsed. The western half
of the Empire had been overrun by Germanic tribes, although some mints remained active in the West under the new barbarian rulers, continuing minting coins, including high-quality gold solidi
, in the name of the eastern emperors, most notably in Ostrogothic Italy and Burgundy
. In the East, most mints seem to have been active until into the reign of Zeno
(r. 475–491), but by the accession of Anastasius I
(r. 491–518) only the mints of Constantinople
and Thessalonica remained active. In 498, Anastasius initiated a major coinage reform which is held to mark the start of the "Byzantine" coinage system proper. At the same time he re-opened the mints at Nicomedia
and later at Antioch
. The number of mints expanded greatly during the reign of Justinian I
(r. 527–565), in large part due to his reconquest of Italy, Africa
and parts of Spain
. As many as fourteen mints were active during Justinian's reign, with new mints opened or taken over from the Vandals and Ostrogoths
in Carthage
, Rome
, Ravenna
, Carthagena
and in smaller provincial centres. Most of these were confined to copper coinage. Ravenna and Carthage alone produced silver coins in quantity, while gold issues were restricted to these two, Catania, Thessalonica and Constantinople; the later however far outstripped the others in output.
The territorial losses of the early 7th century, with the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628, the Slavic incursions into the Balkans
and the onset of the Muslim conquests
, drastically diminished the number of active mints; and in 628/629, Emperor Heraclius
(r. 610–641) closed all remaining provincial mints in the East except for Alexandria
, which fell to the Arabs in 646. In the West too, one by one the cities hosting the various mints fell to various enemies, until by the 9th century, only Syracuse remained.
With the fall of Syracuse
in 878, Constantinople remained the sole mint for gold and silver coinage until the late 11th century. The provincial mint at Cherson was reopened ca. 860, but its output was restricted to copper coinage. Thessalonica became the main provincial mint after it reopened in the second half of the 11th century, and other provincial centres – Thebes
or Corinth
in southern Greece, Philadelphia
in the 14th century, Magnesia
and Nicaea
during the Empire of Nicaea
– were active at times during the Empire's final centuries. Usurpers or semi-autonomous local lords also occasionally established mints of their own, like Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus
, Leo Gabalas
of Rhodes
or the Gabras
family of Trebizond. Constantinople however remained the main mint, providing the bulk of the coinage.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
(330–1453) operated a number of mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
s throughout its history. Aside from the main metropolitan mints in the capital, Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and other major cities, a varying number of provincial mints were also established in provincial urban centres, especially during the 6th century. Most provincial mints except for Syracuse were closed or lost by the mid-7th century. After the loss of Syracuse in 878, Constantinople became the sole mint for gold and silver coinage until the late 11th century, when major provincial mints begin to re-appear. Many mints, both imperial and, as the Byzantine world fragmented, belonging to autonomous local rulers, were operated in the 12th–14th centuries. Constantinople and Trebizond, the seat of the independent Empire of Trebizond
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire...
, survived until their conquest by the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
in the mid-15th century.
History
The original RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
mint network was reorganized and centralized by Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
at the end of the 3rd century, parallel to the concurrent restructuring of the Empire's provincial
Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and, until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of Italy...
and fiscal administration
Roman finance
For centuries the monetary affairs of the Roman Republic had rested in the hands of the Senate. These elite liked to present themselves as steady and fiscally conservative, but as the 19th-century historian of Rome Wilhelm Ihne remarked:...
. The mints were limited to one per diocese
Roman diocese
A Roman or civil diocese was one of the administrative divisions of the later Roman Empire, starting with the Tetrarchy. It formed the intermediate level of government, grouping several provinces and being in turn subordinated to a praetorian prefecture....
(except for a few exceptions) and placed under the dual control of the praetorian prefecture
Praetorian prefecture
The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman Empire, above the mid-level dioceses and the low-level provinces. Praetorian prefectures originated in the reign of Constantine I The praetorian prefecture was the largest administrative division of the late Roman...
s and the comes sacrarum largitionum
Comes sacrarum largitionum
The comes sacrarum largitionum was one of the senior fiscal officials of the late Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire....
. During the next two centuries, some mints were closed and others opened as fiscal necessity or administrative changes dictated. In addition, the various emperors had mints attached to their retinue (comitatus) which followed them on their journeys and campaigns throughout the Empire. After a law promulgated in 366/369, the minting of precious-metal coins was confined to these comitatensian mints, either from a permanent base or by making use of the regional mints nearest to the current location of the emperor and his comitatus. Otherwise, regional mints were mostly limited to issuing base-metal coins.
During the course of the 5th century, this system collapsed. The western half
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
of the Empire had been overrun by Germanic tribes, although some mints remained active in the West under the new barbarian rulers, continuing minting coins, including high-quality gold solidi
Solidus (coin)
The solidus was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans, and a weight measure for gold more generally, corresponding to 4.5 grams.-Roman and Byzantine coinage:...
, in the name of the eastern emperors, most notably in Ostrogothic Italy and Burgundy
Kingdom of Burgundy
Burgundy is a historic region in Western Europe that has existed as a political entity in a number of forms with very different boundaries. Two of these entities - the first around the 6th century, the second around the 11th century - have been called the Kingdom of Burgundy; a third was very...
. In the East, most mints seem to have been active until into the reign of Zeno
Zeno (emperor)
Zeno , originally named Tarasis, was Byzantine Emperor from 474 to 475 and again from 476 to 491. Domestic revolts and religious dissension plagued his reign, which nevertheless succeeded to some extent in foreign issues...
(r. 475–491), but by the accession of Anastasius I
Anastasius I (emperor)
Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
(r. 491–518) only the mints of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and Thessalonica remained active. In 498, Anastasius initiated a major coinage reform which is held to mark the start of the "Byzantine" coinage system proper. At the same time he re-opened the mints at Nicomedia
Nicomedia
Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most...
and later at Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
. The number of mints expanded greatly during the reign of Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(r. 527–565), in large part due to his reconquest of Italy, Africa
Praetorian prefecture of Africa
The praetorian prefecture of Africa was a major administrative division of the Eastern Roman Empire, established after the reconquest of northwestern Africa from the Vandals in 533-534 by emperor Justinian I...
and parts of Spain
Spania
Spania was a province of the Roman Empire from 552 until 624 in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. It was a part of the conquests of Roman Emperor Justinian I in an effort to restore the western half of the Empire....
. As many as fourteen mints were active during Justinian's reign, with new mints opened or taken over from the Vandals and Ostrogoths
Ostrogothic Kingdom
The Kingdom established by the Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas lasted from 493 to 553. In Italy the Ostrogoths replaced Odoacer, the de facto ruler of Italy who had deposed the last emperor of the Western Roman Empire in 476. The Gothic kingdom reached its zenith under the rule of its...
in Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Ravenna
Ravenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, Carthagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
and in smaller provincial centres. Most of these were confined to copper coinage. Ravenna and Carthage alone produced silver coins in quantity, while gold issues were restricted to these two, Catania, Thessalonica and Constantinople; the later however far outstripped the others in output.
The territorial losses of the early 7th century, with the Byzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628, the Slavic incursions into the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and the onset of the Muslim conquests
Muslim conquests
Muslim conquests also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, began with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power.They...
, drastically diminished the number of active mints; and in 628/629, Emperor Heraclius
Heraclius
Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'...
(r. 610–641) closed all remaining provincial mints in the East except for Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, which fell to the Arabs in 646. In the West too, one by one the cities hosting the various mints fell to various enemies, until by the 9th century, only Syracuse remained.
With the fall of Syracuse
Siege of Syracuse (877–878)
The Siege of Syracuse in 877–878 led to the fall of the city of Syracuse, the Roman/Byzantine capital of Sicily, to the Aghlabids. The Aghlabids had tried and failed to take the city soon after their initial landing on the island 50 years earlier...
in 878, Constantinople remained the sole mint for gold and silver coinage until the late 11th century. The provincial mint at Cherson was reopened ca. 860, but its output was restricted to copper coinage. Thessalonica became the main provincial mint after it reopened in the second half of the 11th century, and other provincial centres – Thebes
Thebes, Greece
Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
or Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
in southern Greece, Philadelphia
Alasehir
Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ...
in the 14th century, Magnesia
Magnesia on the Maeander
Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in the triangle of Priene, Ephesus and Tralles. The city was named Magnesia, after the Magnetes from Thessaly who settled the area along with...
and Nicaea
Iznik
İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...
during the Empire of Nicaea
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade...
– were active at times during the Empire's final centuries. Usurpers or semi-autonomous local lords also occasionally established mints of their own, like Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus
Isaac Komnenos or Comnenus , was the ruler of Cyprus from 1184 to 1191, before Richard I's conquest during the Third Crusade.-Family:He was a minor member of the Komnenos family. He was son of an unnamed Doukas Kamateros and Irene Komnene...
, Leo Gabalas
Leo Gabalas
Leo Gabalas was a Byzantine Greek magnate, who in 1204, with the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade seized the island of Rhodes...
of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
or the Gabras
Gabras
Gabras , feminine form Gabraina , is the surname of an important Byzantine aristocratic family, which became especially prominent in the late 11th and early 12th centuries as the semi-independent and quasi-hereditary rulers of Chaldia....
family of Trebizond. Constantinople however remained the main mint, providing the bulk of the coinage.
List
| Name | Attested activity | Mint mark | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrianople | Active as a mint for the co-emperor Matthew Kantakouzenos Matthew Kantakouzenos Matthew Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzenus was Byzantine Emperor from 1353 to 1357.-Life:... during his rule over Thrace (1347–1357). Didymoteichon is an alternative site. |
||
| Alexandretta | ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔ | Active during Heraclius Heraclius Heraclius was Byzantine Emperor from 610 to 641.He was responsible for introducing Greek as the empire's official language. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the exarch of Africa, successfully led a revolt against the unpopular usurper Phocas.Heraclius'... ' revolt against Phocas Phocas Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:... . |
|
| Alexandria Alexandria Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving... |
ΑΛΕΞ, ΑΛΞΟΒ | Active from before Diocletian to the reign of Zeno (r. 475–491) as the mint of the Diocese of Egypt. Re-established ca. 525, active until its fall to the Arabs. | |
| Antioch Antioch Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the... |
ΑΝ, ΑΝΤΙΚ, ΑΝΤΧ; THEUP, THEUPO, ΘVΠOΛS | Active from before Diocletian to the reign of Zeno (r. 475–491) as the mint of the Diocese of the East Diocese of the East The Diocese of the East was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia... . Re-established by Anastasius. Renamed to Theoupolis (Θεούπολις, "City of God") after the 526 earthquake 526 Antioch earthquake The 526 Antioch earthquake was a major earthquake that hit Syria and Antioch in the Byzantine Empire in 526. It struck during late May, probably between May 20–29, at mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000 people. The earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left... . No coins are attested after 610, its establishment having probably been transferred to Jerusalem (see below). |
|
| Arta Arta, Greece Arta is a city with a rich history in northwestern Greece, capital of the peripheral unit of Arta, which is part of Epirus region. The city was known in ancient times as Ambracia . Arta is famous for its old bridge located over the Arachthos River, situated west of downtown... |
Main mint for the Despotate of Epirus Despotate of Epirus The Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond... . Attribution is conjectural but probable, as Arta was the capital of Epirus. |
||
| Carthage Carthage Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC... |
CAR, KAR, KART, CT, CRTG, KRTG | Established by Diocletian ca. 296 but suppressed in 307 and its staff transferred to Ostia Ostia Ostia may refer to:*Ostia , a municipio of Rome on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome*Ostia Antica , a district of the commune of Rome... . A new mint was established by the Vandals Vandals The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics.... there, and was taken over by the Byzantines in 533. Extant until ca. 692/693 or 695, when it was moved to Sardinia Sardinia Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],... before the threat of Arab conquest. |
|
| Carthagena Cartagena, Spain Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital... |
Active in southern Spain until the fall of the last Byzantine strongholds to the Visigoths in ca. 624. | ||
| Catania Catania Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and... |
CAT | Established in 582/583 and last coinage attested in 628/629. | |
| Cherson | ΧΕΡCWΝΟC, ΧΕΡCΟΝΟC, | Active under Justinian I (527–565), Maurice (582–602), and from the reign of Basil I Basil I Basil I, called the Macedonian was a Byzantine emperor of probable Armenian descent who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a simple peasant in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia, he rose in the imperial court, and usurped the imperial throne from Emperor Michael III... (r. 867–886) to Basil II Basil II Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated... (r. 976–1025). |
|
| Constantia Salamis, Cyprus Salamis was an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, at the mouth of the river Pedieos, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his... in Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the... |
and ca. 626–629 | ΚΥΠΡΟV, ΚΥΠΡΕ, KYΠΡ, CΠΡ | Active during Heraclius' revolt and again in 626–629, chiefly to cover military needs. |
| Constantina Constantine, Algeria Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river... in Numidia Numidia Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later... |
CON | Only sporadically active, attribution now generally dismissed. | |
| Constantinople Constantinople Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:... |
CON, CONOB, CONOS, COB | Active throughout the Byzantine era, except for the period where it functioned as the mint of the Latin Empire Latin Empire The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261... (1204–1261). |
|
| Cyzicus Cyzicus Cyzicus was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula , a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic... |
KYZ, KY | Active since before Diocletian, who made it the mint for the Diocese of Asia Diocese of Asia The Diocese of Asia was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of western Asia Minor and the islands of the eastern Aegean Sea... . Re-established by Anastasius I, it remained active until 629/630, with an interruption in 614/615–625/626 due to the war with Persia. |
|
| Isaura | ISAYR | Established to cover military needs in the war against Persia. Transferred from Seleucia Silifke -Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them... in 617, and suppressed soon after, probably due to the Persian advance. |
|
| Jerusalem | ΙΠ, ΙΧ, IEΡOCO, XC NIKA | Established in 608/609 during Heraclius' revolt by Phocas Phocas Phocas was Byzantine Emperor from 602 to 610. He usurped the throne from the Emperor Maurice, and was himself overthrown by Heraclius after losing a civil war.-Origins:... loyalists, possibly by transfer of the Antioch mint, and survived until the Sassanid Persians took the city in 614/615. |
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| Magnesia Magnesia on the Maeander Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in the triangle of Priene, Ephesus and Tralles. The city was named Magnesia, after the Magnetes from Thessaly who settled the area along with... |
Main mint and treasury of the Empire of Nicaea Empire of Nicaea The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade... after the transfer of the Nicaea mint there. |
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| Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... |
NE | Active from the reign of Constantine IV Constantine IV Constantine IV , , sometimes incorrectly called Pogonatos, "the Bearded", by confusion with his father; was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685... (r. 641–685), probably after ca. 661/662 when it became the seat of a doux Dux Dux is Latin for leader and later for Duke and its variant forms .... , to Theophilos Theophilos (emperor) Theophilos was the Byzantine emperor from 829 until his death in 842. He was the second emperor of the Phrygian dynasty, and the last emperor supporting iconoclasm... (r. 829–842). Effectively outside imperial control as the doux became increasingly independent Duchy of Naples The Duchy of Naples began as a Byzantine province that was constituted in the seventh century, in the reduced coastal lands that the Lombards had not conquered during their invasion of Italy in the sixth century... . |
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| Nicaea Iznik İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea... |
Main mint of the Empire of Nicaea Empire of Nicaea The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade... until transferred to Magnesia, probably both because of the proximity of Latin Empire Latin Empire The Latin Empire or Latin Empire of Constantinople is the name given by historians to the feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. It was established after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and lasted until 1261... territory in Bithynia Bithynia Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:... and to be closer to the Nicaean emperors' favourite residence, Nymphaion. |
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| Nicomedia Nicomedia Nicomedia was an ancient city in what is now Turkey, founded in 712/11 BC as a Megarian colony and was originally known as Astacus . After being destroyed by Lysimachus, it was rebuilt by Nicomedes I of Bithynia in 264 BC under the name of Nicomedia, and has ever since been one of the most... |
NIK, NIKO, NIC, NIKM, NIKOMI, NI | Established by Diocletian ca. 294 for the Diocese of Pontus Diocese of Pontus The Diocese of Pontus was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of northern and northeastern Asia Minor up to the border with the Sassanid Empire in Armenia. The diocese was established after the reforms of Diocletian, and its vicarius, headquartered at Amaseia, was... . Active until the late 5th century, reopened by Anastasius I ca. 498 and active until 629/630, with an interruption in 617/618–625/626 due to the war with Persia. |
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| Nicosia Nicosia Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line... |
Main mint of the usurper Isaac Komnenos Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus Isaac Komnenos or Comnenus , was the ruler of Cyprus from 1184 to 1191, before Richard I's conquest during the Third Crusade.-Family:He was a minor member of the Komnenos family. He was son of an unnamed Doukas Kamateros and Irene Komnene... . Other mints were also established on the island. |
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| Perugia Perugia Perugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area.... |
P | Attribution conjectural, now generally dismissed. | |
| Philadelphia Alasehir Alaşehir, in Antiquity and the Middle Ages known as Philadelphia , i.e. " brotherly love" is a town and district of Manisa Province in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is situated in the valley of the Kuzuçay , at the foot of the Bozdağ... |
ΦΛΔΦ | First coinage during the short-lived usurpation of Theodore Mangaphas Theodore Mangaphas Theodore Mangaphas or Mankaphas was a nobleman from Philadelphia who assumed the title of Byzantine Emperor twice, first during the reign of Isaac II, and secondly after the sacking of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade... in 1188–1189. 14th-century coins bearing the mark ΦΛΔΦ have been attributed to the city, which at the time and until its fall in 1390 was a Byzantine exclave surrounded by Turkish territory. |
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| Philippopolis Plovdiv Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe... |
Active during the early years of the monetary reforms of Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,... (r. 1081–1118). Adrianople has also been suggested as an alternative site. |
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| Ravenna Ravenna Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome... |
RAV, RA, RAB, RAVEN, RAVENNA | Extant until the fall of the Exarchate of Ravenna Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna or of Italy was a centre of Byzantine power in Italy, from the end of the 6th century to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the Lombards.-Introduction:... to the Lombard kingdom in 752. |
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| Rhodes Rhodes Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within... |
Local coinage of the two brothers Leo Gabalas Leo Gabalas Leo Gabalas was a Byzantine Greek magnate, who in 1204, with the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade seized the island of Rhodes... and John Gabalas, autonomous rulers of Rhodes and nearby islands. |
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| Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... |
ROM, ROMA, ROMOB, | Theoretically until ca. 751, when Rome and the Pope Pope The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle... broke away from Byzantine overlordship, but already under effective papal control from the 7th century. |
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| Salona Salona Salona was an ancient Illyrian Delmati city in the first millennium BC. The Greeks had set up an emporion there. After the conquest by the Romans, Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia... |
Location probable, but not certain; active only during the reign of Justinian I Justinian I Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of... (r. 527–565) |
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| Sardinia Sardinia Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],... |
S | Established, probably at Cagliari Cagliari Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu... , through the transfer of the mint of Carthage in 692/693 or 695, it is attested until the reign of Leo III the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741... (r. 717–741) |
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| Seleucia Isauria Silifke -Antiquity:Located a few miles from the mouth of the Calycadnus River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BCE, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them... |
SELISU, SEL | Established to cover military needs in the war against Persia. Transferred to Isaura in 617. | |
| Syracuse | SECILIA, CVΡΑΚΟVCI | Active from ca. 643/644 to its fall to the Arabs in 878, sometimes supplemented by Catania. Prior to that, coins struck at Constantinople were transferred to the island where they were marked SC[L]. | |
| Thebes Thebes, Greece Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others... |
Attribution is conjectural, it concerns a mint established to mint half-tetartera Tetarteron The tetarteron was a Byzantine term applied to two different coins, one gold circulating from the 960s to 1092 in parallel to the histamenon, and one copper used from 1092 to the second half of the 13th century.- Gold coin :... for the joint themes of Hellas Hellas (theme) The Theme of Hellas was a Byzantine military-civilian province located in southern Greece. The theme encompassed parts of Central Greece, Thessaly and, until circa 800, the Peloponnese... and the Peloponnese Peloponnese (theme) The Theme of the Peloponnese was a Byzantine military-civilian province encompassing the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. It was established in circa 800, and its capital was Corinth.-History:... . Corinth Corinth Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit... and Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... are alternative proposed sites. Solidly attested from the reign of Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean.... (r. 1143–1180) until the first reign of Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos Isaac II Angelos was Byzantine emperor from 1185 to 1195, and again from 1203 to 1204.... (r. 1185–1195), it may have been established as early as ca. 1092. |
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| Thessalonica | TES, ΘΕC, ΘΕS, THESSOB, TESOB, THSOB | Active from before Diocletian, who made it the mint of the Diocese of Moesia Diocese of Moesia The Diocese of Moesia was one of the twelve dioceses in which Diocletian divided the Roman Empire during his administrative reforms. It encompassed most of the central Balkans and the Greek peninsula, stretching from the Danube to Crete... . Later it was the main mint for the Diocese of Macedonia Diocese of Macedonia The Diocese of Macedonia was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, forming part of the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum. Its capital was Thessalonica.... and the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.The administrative centre of the prefecture was Sirmium , and, after 379, Thessalonica... , until 629/630. Reactivated by Alexios I Komnenos. From 1204 to 1224 active as the mint of the Kingdom of Thessalonica Kingdom of Thessalonica The Kingdom of Thessalonica was a short-lived Crusader State founded after the Fourth Crusade over the conquered Byzantine lands.- Background :... , from then until the Nicaean Empire of Nicaea The Empire of Nicaea was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek successor states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled after Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the Fourth Crusade... conquest in 1246 as the mint of the "empire" of Thessalonica. Last identifiable coins are dated to 1369–1387. |
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| Trebizond | Local issue by the Gabras Gabras Gabras , feminine form Gabraina , is the surname of an important Byzantine aristocratic family, which became especially prominent in the late 11th and early 12th centuries as the semi-independent and quasi-hereditary rulers of Chaldia.... family, semi-independent rulers of Chaldia Chaldia Chaldia was a historical region located in the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor . Its name was derived from a people called the Chaldoi that inhabited the region in Antiquity. Chaldia was used throughout the Byzantine period and was established as a formal theme, known as the Theme of Chaldia , in... in the late 11th/early 12th cent. From the reign of Andronikos I Megas Komnenos Andronikos I of Trebizond Andronikos I Gidos or Andronicus I Gidus , , Emperor of Trebizond-Marriage:He married a Komnene, whose first name is unknown. He succeeded his father-in-law, Alexios I of Trebizond in 1222. His mother-in-law was Theodora Axuchina.... (r. 1222–1235) on the mint for the Empire of Trebizond Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond, founded in April 1204, was one of three Byzantine successor states of the Byzantine Empire. However, the creation of the Empire of Trebizond was not directly related to the capture of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade, rather it had broken away from the Byzantine Empire... . |