A Hoard of Early Byzantine Gold Coins FR PDF

The Numismatic
Chronicle 174
Offprint
A Hoard of Early Byzantine Gold Coins

from Bithynia
by
ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP
LONDON
T H E R O YA L N U M I S M AT I C S O C I E T Y
2014
A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA
193
A Hoard of Early Byzantine Gold Coins

from Bithynia
[PLATES 26 27]
Abstract: A hoard of 81 sixth-to-seventh-century gold coins was found in 1998 during
excavations conducted by the Turkish State Water Works close to Bilecik, in the region of
ancient Bithynia. The hoard contains solidi and fractions of Justinian I, Justin II, Maurice,
and Phocas. The majority of the coins dates from the last decades of the accumulation
and includes the most interesting pieces, a 23-carat light-weight solidus of Phocas and an
unusually large number of semisses and tremisses of Maurice and Phocas. Die-links observed
on several coins reveal distinct stages in the creation of this savings deposit. Based on the
dating of the most homogeneous groups in the hoard, the owner was probably the recipient
of imperial largesse under two different emperors. The hoard was concealed and lost at the
end of Phocas reign and the historical circumstances may be related to the successful coup
mounted by the Heraclii in 610. (andrei.gandila@uah.edu; zdgokalp@gmail.com)
Introduction
A HOARD OF 81 early Byzantine solidi and fractions was unearthed in 1998 close
to Bilecik, in the valley of lenaras, between St and Geitli, a region better
known to historians for its significance in the early Ottoman period.1 The hoard
was found during excavations conducted in the area by the State Water Works. The
workers were installing pipes in the ground when they accidentally stumbled upon
48 gold coins. Fortunately, the find was immediately reported to the authorities. On
the same day curators from the St Museum Directorate arrived on site and found
eight more coins. Finally, the rescue excavations directed by the same institution
brought to light another 25 coins. Although no container or ceramic fragments were
found with the hoard it is likely that all coins belonged to the same assemblage. The
archaeological context included a poorly made wall but the function of the structure
could not be determined with precision. No stratigraphic information is available to
place the hoard in a firmer context. Excavations in the wider area where water works
were being carried out revealed the existence of a cemetery which remained in use
from the Hellenistic period to the Late Roman. The latest coins from the cemetery
are dated to the reign of Honorius (393423). A pentanummium of Anastasius I
(491518) is recorded as a stray find from the area of the necropolis.2 In addition,
R.P. Lindner, Osmanl tarihncesi, transl. A. Arel (Istanbul, 2007), p. 45.
Excavation reports mention additional finds from the early Byzantine period: rings, a bell, and many
terracotta lamps, for which see M. Fuat zatal, lenaras vadisi kurtarma kazs 1998, in Mze
Kurtarma Kazlar Semineri, 2628 Nisan 1999, Kuadas (Ankara, 2000), pp. 5968. M. Fuat zatal,
lenaras vadisi kurtarma kazs 1999, in 11. Mze almalar ve Kurtarma Kazlar Sempozyumu
2426 Nisan 2000, Denizli (Ankara, 2000), (Ankara, 2001), pp. 11932.
1
2
194
the collection of the Bilecik Museum includes 65 Byzantine bronze coins, from
Anastasius I to Manuel I (114380), most of them found in the region of ancient
Bithynia. Unfortunately, most of them are accidental finds with no archaeological
context.3
The total weight of the hoard is 291.88 grams which is more substantial than the
average gold hoard from the Balkans and Asia Minor (c.40 solidi).4 The average
weight of the regular solidi in the hoard is 4.43 grams, with the heaviest weighing
4.53 grams (no. 56) and the lightest 4.28 grams (c.22 carats) (nos 39 and 62). In
several cases we are dealing with typical weight loss during circulation, but there are
also clear instances where the solidi are seriously underweight although they appear
to be in mint state (e.g. no. 44). Several semisses of Maurice (582602) and Phocas
(60210) are also underweight. In addition, several solidi and semisses show signs of
over- or double striking. The age-structure of the hoard is typical for accumulations
closed at the beginning of the seventh century (fig. 1). The earliest coins in the hoard
are three solidi of Justinian I (52765) issued sometime after 542 (MIB 7), while the
latest are dated close to 610. Solidi of Justinian become scarce in seventh-century
deposits but are by no means unusual in hoards concealed in the early decades.5
Moreover, they are occasionally found much later in the century.6 The bulk of the
hoard is represented by solidi, semisses, and tremisses of Maurice and Phocas. Since
the number of coins of Maurice is so substantial (40.75%), we may be dealing with
a savings deposit begun during his reign and further increased in the first decade of
the seventh century (54.32%).
The hoard found near Bilecik is the largest known gold hoard closing with coins
of Phocas, if we disregard the dispersed hoard of Bat Galim in Haifa (Palestine)
which supposedly included several hundred coins, all minted during the reign of
Phocas.7 It is not necessarily the size that gives it such pre-eminence but the rarity
of hoards ending with coins of Phocas, whether they are accumulations of gold or
copper (fig. 4). This is all the more remarkable as the first decade of the seventh
century is generally considered to be one dominated by anarchy and insecurity in
the eastern provinces. In the Balkans the Danube frontier was severely affected by
3
All Byzantine coins studied by Zeliha Demirel Gkalp in 2013 at the Bilecik Museum. This study
was carried out under the Project no. 1208E123 submitted to Anadolu University Council of Scientific
Research Projects. A larger number of early Byzantine coins (111) are part of the collection of Bolu
Museum. Most of them were found in the region of ancient Claudiopolis in Bithynia, for which see S.
Kl, Bolu Arkeoloji Mzesindeki bronz bizans sikkeleri, in Proceedings of the XVth International
Symposium of Medieval and Turkish Excavations and Art History Researches, Anadolu University
Eskiehir, 1921 October, 2011, Z. Demirel Gkalp et al. (eds) (Eskiehir, 2012), vol. 2, pp. 50310;
Z. Demirel Gkalp, Bolu Arkeoloji Mzesindeki bizans altn sikkeleri, Anadolu niversitesi Sosyal
Bilimler Dergisi 11, no. 2 (2011), pp. 14756.
4
C. Morrisson, V. Popovi, and V. Ivanievi (eds), Les Trsors montaires byzantins des Balkans et
dAsie Mineure (491713) (Paris, 2006), p. 65, table 3 (hereafter Trsors).
5
Unknown location in Asia Minor: Trsors, no. 345; Kstll: Trsors, no. 340.
6
Unknown location in Asia Minor: Trsors, no. 344; Afrus: W.E. Metcalf, Three seventh-century
Byzantine gold hoards, ANSMN 25 (1980), pp. 8790.
7
S. Bendall, Notes on two Byzantine hoards, CH 1 (1975), p. 66; G. Bijovsky, Gold Coin and Small
Change: Monetary Circulation in Fifth-Seventh Century Byzantine Palestine (Trieste, 2013), p. 467,
no. 54.
195
the mutiny led by Phocas himself in 602. The empire never regained the initiative
against the Avars and the Slavs, despite the success of the campaigns led in the last
years of the sixth century when Roman armies crossed the Danube after more than
six decades of maintaining defensive positions. In the east the murder of Maurice
was used as a convenient pretext by Khusrau II (590628) who set himself the task
of avenging the murder of his patron, the late emperor Maurice. One by one the
powerful fortresses of Mesopotamia, northern Syria and Armenia fell to the Persians,
leaving the core provinces of Anatolia vulnerable to attack. This period of crisis
culminated with the revolt of the Heraclii erupting in North Africa in 608 and then
spreading all the way to Constantinople.8
The composition of the hoard and comparison with other hoards
It may be that the reign of Phocas has been too often described in an overly-negative
tone, since the number of hoards lost during his reign is unexpectedly small. To be
sure, it is entirely possible that some of the copper coin hoards closed in the last
regnal years of Maurice were in fact lost during the reign of Phocas, as may be the
case with the hoard from Anemurium in Isauria.9 In any case, there are only two
other gold hoards from Anatolia ending with coins of Phocas, while further south
a similar hoard was found at Afrus in Syria.10 Across the Aegean, a small hoard of
solidi of Maurice and Phocas was found at Paiania, not far from Athens, while at
Malaisina three solidi of Phocas were confiscated from what seemed to be a larger
deposit, not necessarily concealed during his reign.11 Another small hoard of solidi
and semisses found at Patras ends with solidi minted during the last regnal year of
Phocas, while further north in Macedonia, at Bargala, archaeologists have found
two solidi of Phocas hidden together with silver earrings.12 Finally, the large hoard
of Kupusina (Serbia) dispersed more than a century ago included solidi from Zeno
to Phocas.13 Two small copper hoards from Greece complete this rather deserted
landscape of hoarding during the reign of Phocas, which stands in sharp contrast with
the hoarding frenzy of the previous two decades in the Balkans.14 Hoard evidence
from the Near East suggests a slightly different picture. Aside from the hoard of Bat
Galim, already mentioned, a much smaller deposit ending with coins of Phocas was
For the historical background see J. Howard-Johnston, Witnesses to a World Crisis: Historians and
Histories of the Middle East in the Seventh Century (Oxford, 2010), who notes the scarcity of written
accounts regarding developments in Anatolia at the beginning of the seventh century (pp. 14951).
9
J. Russell, A coin hoard of Maurice Tiberius from Anemurium, Isauria, ANSMN 28 (1983), p. 130.
The author suggested that both the copper hoard from Anemurium and that of gold coins found less than
100 km to the west, at Selinti (Trsors, no. 341), might be related to the climate of insecurity during
the reign of Phocas.
10
O. Tekin and A. Erol-zdizbay, Coins from Allianoi excavations: Campaign of 1998, Colloquium
Anatolicum 11 (2012), pp. 347401; hoard found in Asia Minor, the precise location being unknown,
Trsors, no. 345; for Afrus see above, n. 6.
11
Trsors, nos 160 and 171.
12
Trsors, nos 107 and 175.
13
Trsors, no. 357.
14
Pellene: Trsors, no. 136; Chalkis: Trsors, no. 177. For the hoards closed during the reign of
Maurice, see F. Curta and A. Gandila, Hoards and hoarding patterns in the early Byzantine Balkans,
DOP 6566 (2012), pp. 1035, nos 239292.
8
196
found in Jerusalem.15 Hoards of copper coins closed during the reign of Phocas are
far more common in the provinces of Syria-Palestine and to some extent in Cyprus.16
Nevertheless, in all of these eastern regions, including the Transcaucasus, the peak
of hoard loss was reached during the Heraclian dynasty, with the notable exception
of the Balkans where many provinces had already been abandoned to the Slavs and
Avars in the years preceding the siege of Constantinople (626).
Emperor
Date
Solidus
Justinian I
Justin II
Maurice
54265
56567
583602
6023
6034
6027
6037
6047
6079
60710
3
1
24
0
2
0
0
13
11
0
54
Phocas
Total
23-sil.
solidus
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
Semissis
Tremissis
0
0
4
0
0
6
0
0
0
4
14
0
0
5
2
0
0
5
0
0
0
12
Total
3
1
33
2
3
6
5
13
11
4
81
3.7%
1.23%
40.75%
54.32%
100%
Fig. 1. The age-structure of the hoard.
Fig. 2. Frequency of gold denominations. Fig. 3. Metrology of the regular solidi.

The coins of Justinian I and Justin II (56578) are slightly underweight and show
clear signs of circulation prior to their withdrawal (nos 14). They were probably
among the coins mixed with the uncirculated solidi, semisses and tremisses of
Bijovsky, Gold Coin and Small Change, p. 467, no. 51.
Salamis: O. Callot, Salamine de Chypre. XVI Les monnaies. Fouilles de la ville 19641974 (Paris,
2004), p. 52. Deir Dasawi: L.Y. Rachmani, Two hoards of Byzantine coins and a Roman charm from
Khirbet Deir Dasawi, INJ 2, nos 12 (1964), pp. 1923. Cyrrhus: E. Leuthold, Monete bizantine
rinvenute in Cirrestica, RIN 73 (1971), pp. 923. North Syria: S.J. Mansfield, A hoard of twenty
Byzantine copper coins, NC 163 (2003), pp. 3545. The only copper hoard from Asia Minor which
seems to date from the reign of Phocas is a deposit containing 100 dodecanummia found during
archaeological excavations at Aphrodisias in 1972. It has rightly been suggested that the coins came as
a homogeneous group from Egypt, for which see K.T. Erim, Aphrodisias in Caria. The 1972 campaign
of excavations, Trk Arkeoloji Dergisi 21, no. 1 (1974), p. 39.
15
16
197
Maurice which mark the first phase of the accumulation. All solidi of Maurice
belong to type MIB 6 which covers most of his reign (583602). It is now commonly
accepted that the solidi featuring a large head on the obverse should be dated earlier
than those with a small head. Wolfgang Hahn has tentatively distinguished between
four types, based on the size of the emperors bust, but this is not particularly helpful
for establishing an absolute chronology. For the purposes of our hoard we have
divided Maurices coinage into two groups only. Unsurprisingly, the hoard includes
both early and late issues, represented by nine and 15 solidi, respectively. We have
noticed several die links on solidi and semisses of Maurice (nos 12, 15, 21, 23, 34
and 35). The coins in question might reflect imperial largesse consisting of freshly
minted pieces received directly from the mint.17 All die-linked solidi belong to the
coinage issued in the second half of the reign.18
The coins of Phocas account for more than half of the hoard (54.32%) and
include the most interesting pieces in the deposit. The three most unusual features
of this group are the presence of a 23-carat light-weight solidus (no. 64), two rare
early tremisses (nos 75 and 76), and the large number of semisses (nos 6574),
which constitute almost a quarter of the coins of Phocas in the hoard. There is still
insufficient evidence to reach a consensus concerning the function of the elusive lightweight solidi first introduced by Justinian, but as evidence accumulates from hoards
found in the empire it seems that they may have served several distinct functions
depending on circumstances.19 Two 23-carat light-weight solidi of Maurice were part
of a hoard found at Gkler in Phrygia.20 No such coins are recorded in the Afyon
hoard, but the deposit found in the Byzantine province of Helenopontus at Mecitz
included a 22-carat light-weight solidus of Phocas, while the hoard unearthed during
archaeological excavations at Allianoi, near Bergama, included two 23-carat solidi
of Maurice.21 In addition, an unknown number of light-weight solidi of Phocas were
part of the dispersed hoard of Bat Galim in Palestine.22 Light-weight solidi from the
Heraclian dynasty are better represented in hoards found in the Near East, such as
17
It is still unclear whether accessional, consular and other special donativa were paid in newly
minted coins. For such an interpretation, see P. Bastien, Monnaie et donativa au Bas-Empire (Wetteren,
1988), p. 37.
18
Die-links have been noticed in other hoards from Anatolia and the surrounding regions: Gkler: Z.
Demirel Gkalp and A. Gandila, A hoard of sixth-century solidi, light-weight solidi and fractions from
Gkler (Phrygia), RN, forthcoming. Bakrky: Y. Akyay, Bakrkyde bulunan bizans sikke definesi,
Istanbul Arkeoloji Mzeleri Yll 1314 (1966), pp. 1612. Kstll: O. Tekin and Y. nl, Kstll
hoard of Byzantine solidi, Anatolia Antiqua 6 (1998), p. 280, pl. I. Afyon: C. Morrisson, A. Ilasli and
S. zgndz, Le trsor de monnaies byzantines dAfyon, Phrygie (VIe sicle), RN 31 (1989), p. 142.
Chibati: T. Abramishvili, Bizantiuri okros monetebi (Chibatis gandzi), Akad. S. Janashias sachelobis
sakartvelos sachelmtsipo muzeumis moambe 25-B (1968), pp. 15976. Daphne: Metcalf, Three gold
hoards, pp. 91101. Samos: M. Caramessini-Oeconomides and P. Drossoyianni, A hoard of Byzantine
gold coins from Samos, RN (1989), pp. 15361. Limassol: I. Nicolaou and M. Metcalf, The Limassol
(Molos) hoard of Byzantine gold, t.p.q. 641, Report of the Department of Antiquities, Cyprus (2007),
p. 405. Nikertai: C. Morrisson, Le trsor byzantin de Nikertai, RBN 118 (1972), pp. 4243.
19
For a recent discussion see F. Carl, Loro nella tarda antichit: aspetti economici e sociali (Turin,
2009), pp. 37890.
20
Gandila and Demirel Gkalp, A hoard of sixth-century solidi, forthcoming.
21
Tekin and Erol-zdizbay, Coins from Allianoi, p. 400, nos 289 and 290.
22
Bijovsky, Gold Coin and Small Change, p. 467, no. 54.
198
Nikertai, Bet Shean, Damascus, Capernaum, and Rehov.23 This is not the case in the
Balkans, where two hoards found at Provadija and Sadovec, in the frontier region,
include 23- and 22-carat solidi of Maurice, respectively.24
The light-weight solidus from the hoard found near Bilecik was minted in the
second officina of Constantinople, which is unrecorded in the latest edition of
MIB, and belongs to a rare series of light-weight solidi issued in 603 (MIBEC 13a).
Equally rare are the two early tremisses, type MIBEC V26, absent from all major
public collections, also minted in the first regnal year (nos 7576). This unusual
combination of early issues coupled with the fact that the two early full-weight solidi
are die-linked seem to suggest that the owner of the deposit was the recipient of
imperial largesse distributed to mark the accession of the new emperor or perhaps the
consulship taken by Phocas in December 603. The two die-linked semisses minted
between 602 and 607 may belong to the same early group (nos 65 and 68).
The fractional solidi
The large number of fractions, especially semisses, is in fact another major
characteristic of the hoard. Semisses and tremisses account for c.32% of the hoard
which is unusual for an accumulation of such size. Byzantinists have long suggested
that semisses were minted mainly for ceremonial purposes, to be distributed
as donativa, but they seem to show up quite frequently in Anatolian hoards. The
medium-sized hoards found at Gkler and Bakrky included three and two semisses,
respectively, while the Justinianic hoard from Afyon had 17 semisses, accounting
for more than a third of the entire hoard.25 The dossier is still frustratingly thin to
permit any definitive conclusions but we should expect to see more hoards in the
future displaying the same pattern, which may turn out to be a strong particularity of
Anatolian hoards.
Half-solidi are also common in other regions of the eastern Mediterranean. Off
the coast of Turkey, the small accumulation found on the shipwreck of Yass Ada
included nine semisses of Heraclius (61041), while two of the seventh-century
hoards found on the islands of Samos and Cyprus also contained semisses.26 In the
provinces of the Balkans semisses are much less frequent, being recorded only in
three hoards out of several hundred.27 In the Near East, most of the evidence from
23
Nikertai: Morrisson, Le trsor de Nikertai, nos 216, 415, 416 and 417. Damascus: Metcalf, Three
gold hoards, nos 3336 and 50. Bet Shean: G. Bijovsky, A hoard of Byzantine solidi from Bet Shean
in the Umayyad period, RN 158 (2002), nos 552 and 553. Rehov: A. Paltiel, A hoard of Byzantine
gold coins from the city of Rehob, Israel Numismatic Bulletin 3 (19681969), no. 21. Capernaum:
B. Callegher, Un ripostiglio di monete doro bizantine dalla sinagoga di Cafarnao, Liber Annuus 47
(1997), no. 4.
24
Trsors, nos 52 and 243. Sixth-century light-weight solidi were also part of a large hoard found at
Hama in Syria, unfortunately dispersed, for which see H.L. Adelson, Light Weight Solidi and Byzantine
Trade during the Sixth and Seventh Centuries, ANS NNM 138 (New York, 1957), p. 80.
25
Gandila and Demirel Gkalp, A hoard of sixth-century solidi, forthcoming. Bakrky: Trsors, no.
3. Afyon: Morrisson et al., Le trsor dAfyon, 139.
26
J. Fagerlie, The coins, in Yass Ada. Volume I. A Seventh-Century Byzantine Shipwreck (College
Station, 1982), pp. 14554. For Samos and Limassol, see above, n. 18.
27
C. Morrisson and V. Ivanisevi, Les emissions des VIe-VIIe sicles et leur circulation dans les
Balkans, in Trsors, p. 45, fig. 1. Cernavod (Trsors, no. 65), Athens (Trsors, no. 133), and Patras
(Trsors, no. 175).
199
Fig. 4. Hoarding patterns in the eastern provinces.

Gold hoards closed during the reign of Phocas. CIRCLE:
1. Afrus; 2. Allianoi; 3. Bargala; 4. Bat Galim; 5. Jerusalem; 6. Kupusina;
7. Malaisina; 8. Paiania; 9. Patras
Light-weight solidi in early Byzantine gold hoards. SQUARE:
2. Allianoi; 4; Bat Galim; 10. Bet Shean; 11. Capernaum; 12. Damascus; 13. Gkler;
14. Hama; 15. Mecitz; 16. Meuluje; 17. Nikertai; 18. Provadija; 19. Rehov;
20. Sadovec
Semisses in early Byzantine gold hoards. TRIANGLE:
21. Afyon; 22. Athens; 23. Awarta; 24. Bakrky; 10. Bet Shean; 25. Cernavod;
26. Daphne; 13. Gkler; 27. Limassol; 28. Meroth; 17. Nikertai; 9. Patras; 29. Samos;
30. Yass Ada.
200
Syria-Palestine is drawn from large hoards concealed later in the seventh century.
Although some of those hoards include at least a few semisses, they are less useful
for comparison purposes given the different age-structure of assemblages from the
Balkans and Asia Minor.28
Who owned the hoard and why was it lost?
The owner of the hoard may well have been a supporter of Phocas, whose allegiance
was secured through the accessional donativum shortly after the brutal deposition of
Maurice. The new emperor, a usurper in the eyes of many, was in desperate need of
legitimacy and wide support behind his throne, especially since revolts like the one
mounted by the eastern commander Narses threatened the integrity of the frontier
with Persia.29 Judging by the large number of coins dated to the last three years of
reign (18.5%) it is safe to assume that the hoard was concealed sometime close to
610 or shortly after, before Heraclius began his own coinage. Because of the relative
proximity to the capital we might speculate that the historical circumstances of its
loss have to do with the successful coup mounted by the Heraclii, culminating with
the murder of Phocas in October 610.
When the younger Heraclius seized the throne Asia Minor was already exposed
to attacks from the south where the frontier with Persia had been shattered and the
road was open to a massive invasion of the Byzantine heartland. The situation was
all the more dramatic as the region had not seen such a threat in hundreds of years.
It was not until 615, however, when Persian armies led by Shahen reached Bithynia
and shortly after took Chalcedon forcing the emperor to close down the mints of
Cyzicus and Nicomedia.30 Theophanes tells us that the Persians had in fact reached
Chalcedon as early as the sixth regnal year of Phocas (608), but the account has been
received with justified scepticism.31 Given the absence of any coins of Heraclius,
the hoard is less likely to have been lost in the second decade of the century during
the Persian invasion of the Byzantine heartland and the Avaro-Slavic threat in the
Balkans, which otherwise left important numismatic traces, such as the gold hoards
of Sane, Bakrky, Kstll and Mecitz.32 Nevertheless, the rapid succession of
dramatic events in the early decades of the seventh century leaves the historical
interpretation open to several plausible scenarios.
28
Daphne: Metcalf, Three gold hoards, pp. 91101. Awarta: A. Dajani, A hoard of Byzantine gold
coins from Awarta, Nablus, ADAJ 1 (1951), pp. 413. For Nikertai and Bet Shean, see above, n. 23.
29
Foss, The Persians, p. 151.
30
J. Russell, The Persian invasions of Syria/Palestine and Asia Minor in the reign of Heraclius:
Archaeological, numismatic and epigraphic evidence, in E. Kountoura-Galake (ed.), The Dark
Centuries of Byzantium (7th-9th c.) (Athens, 2002), p. 58.
31
Theophanes, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor (Leipzig, 1883), trans. C. Mango and R. Scott (Oxford,
1997), p. 425 (AM 6100=607/8). For chronological errors in Theophanes account, see HowardJohnston, Witnesses to a World Crisis, p. 280. For initial scepticism regarding the 608 episode, see C.
Foss, The Persians in Asia Minor and the end of antiquity, EHR 90 (1975), p. 724, n. 1.
32
Trsors, nos 3, 95, 338 and 340. We may add to this group a small foundation deposit found at
Kkekmece Lake Basin in 2013 whose connection with the larger historical events is uncertain,
for which see O. Tekin, The solidi of foundation deposit from the excavation at Kkekmece Lake
Basin, Annual of Istanbul Studies 2 (2013), pp. 6971. In addition, two seventh-century hoards from
Adana Museum have been briefly mentioned in CH (1998), p. 314, nos 6869.
201
CATALOGUE33
Coins illustrated on plates 2627 are marked *
JUSTINIAN I (52765)
Solidus 54265
1*
2*
3*
4.38 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Off. @; MIBE 7 (pl. 13). Inv. no. S451

4.43 g, 20/21 mm, 7 h. Off. H; MIBE 7 (pl. 13). Inv. no. S448
4.44 g, 19/20 mm, 7 h. Off. I; MIBE 7 (pl. 13). Inv. no. S446
JUSTIN II (56578)
Solidus 5657
4*
4.33 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. , overstruck on a solidus of Justin II, same type, off. .
MIBEC 1 (pl. 1). Inv. no. S447
MAURICE (582602)
Solidus 583602
5*
6*
7
8
9
10
11*
12*
13
14*
15*
16
17
18*
19
20
21*
22
23*
24*
25
26
27*
28
4.46 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. @, overstruck on a solidus of Maurice, same type; MIBEC 63

(pl. 17). Inv. no. S459
4.48 g, 21/22 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S419
4.47 g, 22 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 61 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S420
4.46 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. ; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S424
4.45 g, 20/21 mm, 7 h. Off. ; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S422
4.48 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. S; same obv. die as no. 12; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S458
4.39 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. S; MIBEC 62 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S415
4.33 g, 20/22 mm, 7 h. Off. S; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S411
4.50 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. H; MIBEC 62 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S421
4.43 g, 21/22 mm, 7 h. Off. ; same rev. die as no. 21; MIBEC 64 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S48
4.47 g, 22 mm, 7 h. Off. I; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S408
4.48 g, 22/23 mm, 7 h. Off. I?, double struck; MIBEC 63 (pl. 17). Inv.no. S414
4.45 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. ?; traces of overstriking; MIBEC 61 (pl. 17). Inv. no. S410
Semissis 582602
29*
30
31*
32*
33
2.15 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 17b (pl. 18). Inv. no. S450

2.20 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 17a4 (pl. 18). Inv. no. S50
All coins minted in Constantinople.
202
Tremissis 583602
33
34*
35
36
37*
1.48 g, 17 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 20 (pl. 18). Inv. no. S430

1.48 g, 17 mm,7 h. MIBEC 20 (pl. 18). Inv. no. S440
1.45 g, 17 mm,7 h. Same obv. die as no. 34; MIBEC 20 (pl. 18). Inv. no. S439
PHOCAS (60210)
Solidus 6034
38 4.42 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 5 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S394

39* 4.28 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. ; same obv. die as no. 38. MIBEC 5 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S399
Solidus 6047
40*
41
42
43
44*
45*
46
47
48*
49
50
51*
52

4.38 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. ; double struck; MIBEC 7 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S400
4.45 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Off. ?; MIBEC 7 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S389
Solidus 6079
53*
54
55
56*
57
58
59
60
61*
62
63
4.50 g, 20/22 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 9 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S44
4.53 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. ; double struck; MIBEC 9 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S45
4.48 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. Z; MIBEC 9 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S395
4.28 g, 21/22 mm, 7 h. Off. I; MIBEC 9 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S403
4.36 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Off. ?; MIBEC 9 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S406
23-carat solidus 603
64* 4.27 g, 20/21 mm, 7 h. Off. B (not listed in MIBEC); MIBEC 13a (pl. 30). Inv. no. S401
Semissis 6027
65*
66
67
68*
2.21 g, 18/19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 23a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S432
2.19 g, 19/20 mm, 7 h. Double struck; MIBEC 24 (pl. 31). Inv. no. S437
2.18 g, 19 mm, 7 h. Same obv. die as no. 65; MIBEC 23a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S431
69* 2.17 g, 18/19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 23a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S433
70* 2.12 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 23a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S441
Semissis 60710
71
72
73*
74*
2.21 g, 18 mm, 7 h. Same rev. die as no. 71; MIBEC 25a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S435
2.16 g, 18 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 25a (pl. 31). Inv. no. S436
Tremissis 6023
75* 1.49 g, 15/18 mm, 7 h. MIBEC V26 (pl. 31). Inv. no. S442
76* 1.45 g, 17 mm, 7 h. MIBEC V26 (pl. 31). Inv. no. S428
Tremissis 6037
77*
78*
79*
80*
81
1.48 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 26A (pl. 31). Inv. no. S455

1.49 g, 18 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 26B (pl. 31). Inv. no. S444
203
PLATE 26
11
12
14
15
18
21
23
24
27
29
31
32
34
37
GANDILA and DEMIREL GKALP, A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA (1)
PLATE 27
39
40
44
45
48
51
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56
61
64
65
68
69
70
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
GANDILA and DEMIREL GKALP, A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA (2)

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The Numismatic

A Hoard of Early Byzantine Gold Coins

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

A Hoard of Early Byzantine Gold Coins

ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP

Fig. 1. The age-structure of the hoard.

Fig. 2. Frequency of gold denominations. Fig. 3. Metrology of the regular solidi.

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

Fig. 4. Hoarding patterns in the eastern provinces.

ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

4.38 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Off. @; MIBE 7 (pl. 13). Inv. no. S451

4.46 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. @, overstruck on a solidus of Maurice, same type; MIBEC 63

2.15 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 17b (pl. 18). Inv. no. S450

All coins minted in Constantinople.

ANDREI GANDILA and ZELIHA DEMIREL GKALP

1.48 g, 17 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 20 (pl. 18). Inv. no. S430

38 4.42 g, 21 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 5 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S394

4.46 g, 20 mm, 7 h. Off. B; MIBEC 7 (pl. 30). Inv. no. S41

A HOARD OF EARLY BYZANTINE GOLD COINS FROM BITHYNIA

1.48 g, 19 mm, 7 h. MIBEC 26A (pl. 31). Inv. no. S455

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