c 565-578 AD - JUSTIN II - Byzantine Gold Solidus

$1,200.00

Gold Solidus, Eastern Roman - Byzantine, Struck 565-578 AD.

Ruler: Justin II.

Obv: Crowned facing bust of Justin II holding Victory.

Rev: Constanopolis seated, holding globe with cross.

Mint: Constantinople.

Exceptional strike for this issue! 

Sear-B348 (20mm, 4.51gm) 

Justin II was Byzantine Emperor from 565 to 578 AD. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of the Empress Theodora and was therefore a member of the Justinian Dynasty.

Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empire, with far less resources at his disposal compared to Justinian I. He abandoned the payment of tributes to the Empire's neighbors. This miscalculation  resulted in rekindling of war with the Sassanid Empire and in a Lombard invasion which cost the Romans much of their territory in Italy.  He presented the Cross of Justin II (the oldest known reliquary containing a purported fragment of the True Cross) to Saint Peter's, Rome. On 26 September 578, he elevated Tiberius as Augustus (Tiberius II). Justin died only nine days later, on 5 October 578.

  • Inventory# PA-3087