Gold Solidus of Justinian I (527–65)

Byzantine

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 301

Justinian in 539 was the first Byzantine emperor to adopt a completely frontal portrait, the imperial standard pose for the rest of Byzantine history.

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.

Gold Solidus of Justinian I (527–65), Gold, Byzantine

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Gold Solidus of Justinian I (527–65), Gold, Byzantine
Gold Solidus of Justinian I (527–65), Gold, Byzantine

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