Medallion of the Emperor Maurice Tiberius from a Girdle of Medallions and Coins
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Constantinople(?), 583
Gold
Diam. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y. (17.190.147)
This disk is one of four identical cast-gold medallions that, together with twelve gold coins, all mounted on simple frames, form a girdle. Girdles of this type would be worn around the waist like a belt or sash to secure garments. Alternatively, they could be worn in the manner of a necklace. Traditionally, upon accession to office, the Roman emperor would give medallions and coins as gifts to high-ranking officials and nobles. Gold pieces mounted in this way could also be bestowed as rewards for military or other services. This type of presentation made it possible for the owner to carry his gold with him as a portable trophy.
The figure is identified by inscriptions as the Augustus Mauricius (Latin form of Maurice) Tiberius, who ruled as emperor from 582 to 602. On this, the reverse side, he is shown wearing military dress with a crown and pendulia, in a triumphal quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses. Note the halo behind his head. The halo, an ancient Oriental sign of divinity, confirms the emperor's divinely sanctioned status. His right hand is raised in the gesture of acclamation, and in his left he holds an offering, a globe surmounted by a Nike (Victory). The four horses prance below the chariot in a symmetrical arrangement. Above the horses' heads a Chi Rho (XP) and an eight-pointed star can be distinguished. Christ's monogram, the Chi Rho, is formed by combining the first two Greek letters in the word Christ. The meaning of the star is unknown.
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Medallion of the Emperor Maurice Tiberius from a Girdle of Medallions and Coins