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Stamenon
''Histamenon'' ( grc-gre, όμισμαἱστάμενον '' ómismahistámenon'', "standard oin) was the name given to the gold Byzantine ''solidus'' when the slightly lighter ''tetarteron'' was introduced in the 960s. To distinguish the two, the ''histamenon'' was changed in form from the original ''solidus'', becoming wider and thinner, as well as concave (scyphate) in form. Later usually shortened to ''stamenon'' (Greek: στάμενον), it was discontinued after 1092. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name ''stamenon'' came to be applied to the concave billon and copper ''trachea'' coins. Establishment Ever since Emperor Constantine I () introduced it in 309, the Byzantine Empire's main coinage had been the high-quality ''solidus'' or ''nomisma'', which had remained standard in weight (4.55 grams) and gold content (24 carats) through the centuries. Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (), however, introduced a new coin, the '' omismatetarteron'' ("quarter oin) which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Histamenon Nomisma-Constantine VIII-sb1776
''Histamenon'' ( grc-gre, όμισμαἱστάμενον '' ómismahistámenon'', "standard oin) was the name given to the gold Byzantine ''solidus'' when the slightly lighter ''tetarteron'' was introduced in the 960s. To distinguish the two, the ''histamenon'' was changed in form from the original ''solidus'', becoming wider and thinner, as well as concave (scyphate) in form. Later usually shortened to ''stamenon'' (Greek: στάμενον), it was discontinued after 1092. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name ''stamenon'' came to be applied to the concave billon and copper ''trachea'' coins. Establishment Ever since Emperor Constantine I () introduced it in 309, the Byzantine Empire's main coinage had been the high-quality ''solidus'' or ''nomisma'', which had remained standard in weight (4.55 grams) and gold content (24 carats) through the centuries. Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (), however, introduced a new coin, the '' omismatetarteron'' ("quarter oin) which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Histamenon Nomisma-Isaac I-sb1776
''Histamenon'' ( grc-gre, όμισμαἱστάμενον '' ómismahistámenon'', "standard oin) was the name given to the gold Byzantine ''solidus'' when the slightly lighter ''tetarteron'' was introduced in the 960s. To distinguish the two, the ''histamenon'' was changed in form from the original ''solidus'', becoming wider and thinner, as well as concave (scyphate) in form. Later usually shortened to ''stamenon'' (Greek: στάμενον), it was discontinued after 1092. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name ''stamenon'' came to be applied to the concave billon and copper ''trachea'' coins. Establishment Ever since Emperor Constantine I () introduced it in 309, the Byzantine Empire's main coinage had been the high-quality ''solidus'' or ''nomisma'', which had remained standard in weight (4.55 grams) and gold content (24 carats) through the centuries. Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (), however, introduced a new coin, the '' omismatetarteron'' ("quarter oin) which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Histamenon Nomisma-Alexius I-sb1776
''Histamenon'' ( grc-gre, όμισμαἱστάμενον '' ómismahistámenon'', "standard oin) was the name given to the gold Byzantine ''solidus'' when the slightly lighter ''tetarteron'' was introduced in the 960s. To distinguish the two, the ''histamenon'' was changed in form from the original ''solidus'', becoming wider and thinner, as well as concave (scyphate) in form. Later usually shortened to ''stamenon'' (Greek: στάμενον), it was discontinued after 1092. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name ''stamenon'' came to be applied to the concave billon and copper ''trachea'' coins. Establishment Ever since Emperor Constantine I () introduced it in 309, the Byzantine Empire's main coinage had been the high-quality ''solidus'' or ''nomisma'', which had remained standard in weight (4.55 grams) and gold content (24 carats) through the centuries. Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (), however, introduced a new coin, the '' omismatetarteron'' ("quarter oin) which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetarteron
The ''tetarteron'' ( el, όμισματεταρτηρόν, "quarter oin) 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 Ever since Emperor Constantine I (r. 306–337), the Byzantine Empire's main coinage had been the high-quality ''solidus'' or ''nomisma'', which had remained standard in weight and gold content through the centuries. The Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969), however, introduced a new coin which was a 2 carats (i.e. about 1⁄12, despite its name) lighter than the original ''nomisma'', which now became known as the ''histamenon''... The exact reason for the introduction of the ''tetarteron'' is unclear. According to the historian Zonaras, this was done to increase state revenues: the taxes were to be paid as before in the ''histamenon'', while the state paid its own expenses in the less valuabl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constantine VIII
Constantine VIII Porphyrogenitus ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Πορφυρογέννητος, ''Kōnstantinos Porphyrogénnetos''; 960 – 11/12 November 1028) was ''de jure'' Byzantine emperor from 962 until his death. He was the younger son of Emperor Romanos II and Empress Theophano. He was nominal co-emperor for 63 years (longer than any other), successively with his father; stepfather, Nikephoros II Phokas; uncle, John I Tzimiskes; and brother, Basil II. Basil's death in 1025 left Constantine as the sole emperor. Constantine displayed a lifelong lack of interest in politics, statecraft and the military, and during his brief sole reign the government of the Byzantine Empire suffered from mismanagement and neglect. He had no sons and was instead succeeded by Romanos Argyros, husband of his daughter Zoë. Family Constantine's father, Romanos II, was the sixth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty. After the death of his first wife, Bertha (who took the name E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solidus (coin)
The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid'; ''solidi'') or nomisma ( grc-gre, νόμισμα, ''nómisma'', 'coin') was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Late Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. Constantine I, Constantine introduced the coin, and its weight of about 4.5 grams remained relatively constant for seven centuries. In the Byzantine Empire, the solidus or nomisma remained a highly pure gold coin until the 11th century, when several Byzantine Empire, Byzantine list of Byzantine emperors, emperors began to strike the coin with less and less gold. The nomisma was finally abolished by Alexius I in 1092, who replaced it with the hyperpyron, which also came to be known as a "bezant". The Byzantine solidus also inspired the originally slightly less pure Dinar (coin), dinar issued by the Muslim Caliphate. In Western Europe, the solidus was the main gold coin of commerce from late Roman times to Pepin the Short's Carolingian Renaissance#Carolingian currency, currency reform, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nikephoros II Phokas
Nikephoros II Phokas (; – 11 December 969), Latinized Nicephorus II Phocas, was Byzantine emperor from 963 to 969. His career, not uniformly successful in matters of statecraft or of war, nonetheless included brilliant military exploits which contributed to the resurgence of the Byzantine Empire during the 10th century. In the east, Nikephoros completed the conquest of Cilicia and even retook the islands of Crete and Cyprus, thus opening the path for subsequent Byzantine incursions reaching as far as Upper Mesopotamia and the Levant; these campaigns earned him the sobriquet "pale death of the Saracens". Meanwhile in the west, he inflamed conflict with the Bulgarians and saw Sicily completely turn over to the Muslims, while he failed to make any serious gains in Italy following the incursions of Otto I. At home, Nikephoros' administrative policies caused controversy. He financed his wars with increased taxes both on the people and on the church, while maintaining unpopular th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scyphate
Scyphate is a term frequently used in numismatics to refer to the concave or "cup-shaped" Byzantine coins of the 11th–14th centuries. This usage emerged in the 19th century, when the term ''scyphatus'', attested in south Italian documents of the 11th and 12th centuries, was erroneously interpreted as deriving from the Greek word ''skyphos'' (σκύφος, "cup"). In reality, the term probably derives from the Arabic word ''shafah'', "edge, rim", and refers to the distinctive and conspicuous border of the early '' histamena'' gold coins. Due to this misunderstanding, the term "scyphate" has been widely applied to the concave gold, silver, and copper coins of the late Byzantine Empire and the foreign issues imitating it. These coins are more properly designated as ''trachea'' (singular: ''trachy'', from Greek τραχύ, "rough, uneven").. Gallery File:Scifato_ducale.jpg, "Scyphate" silver ducat of Roger II of Sicily. File:Histamenon nomisma-Isaac I-sb1776.jpg, "Scyphate" ''histame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael IV The Paphlagonian
Michael IV the Paphlagonian ( el, , ''Mikhaēl ho Paphlagōn''; c. 1010 – 10 December 1041) was Byzantine Emperor from 11 April 1034 to his death on 10 December 1041. The son of a peasant, Michael worked as a money changer until he was found a job at court by his brother John the Orphanotrophos. He caught the eye of the empress Zoë Porphyrogenita and they began a tempestuous and flagrant affair. It is believed that they conspired to murder her husband, Emperor Romanos III Argyros, who died in 1034. Michael and Zoë were married the same day and Michael was crowned emperor the day after. Michael, handsome and energetic, had poor health and entrusted most of the business of government to his brother. He distrusted Zoë and went to lengths to ensure that he did not suffer the same fate as his predecessor. The fortunes of the Empire under Michael's reign were mixed. His most triumphant moment came in 1041 when he led the imperial army against Bulgarian rebels. He returned from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power and initiated a hereditary succession to the throne. Inheriting a collapsing empire and faced with constant warfare during his reign against both the Seljuq Turks in Asia Minor and the Normans in the western Balkans, Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration. His appeals to Western Europe for help against the Turks was the catalyst that sparked the First Crusade. Biography Alexios was the son of John Komnenos and Anna Dalassene,Kazhdan 1991, p. 63 and the nephew of Isaac I Komnenos (emperor 1057–1059). Alexios' father declined the throne on the abdication of Isaac, who was thu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael VII Doukas
Michael VII Doukas or Ducas ( gr, Μιχαήλ Δούκας), nicknamed Parapinakes ( gr, Παραπινάκης, lit. "minus a quarter", with reference to the devaluation of the Byzantine currency under his rule), was the senior Byzantine emperor from 1071 to 1078. He was known as incompetent as an emperor and reliant on court officials, especially of his finance minister Nikephoritzes, who increased taxation and luxury spending while not properly financing their army (which later mutinied). Under his reign, Bari was lost and his empire faced open revolt in the Balkans. Along with the advancing Seljuk Turks in the eastern front, Michael also had to contend with his mercenaries openly going against the empire. Michael stepped down as emperor in 1078 where he later retired to a monastery. Life Michael VII was born 1050 in Constantinople, the eldest son of Constantine X Doukas and Eudokia Makrembolitissa. He was probably associated with the throne around the end of 1059 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michaelaton
The ''michaelaton'' ( el, , "coin of Michael"), in Latin ''michaelatus'', was the colloquial name given to the gold Byzantine coins (''nomismata'') struck by any emperor called Michael. In a more technical sense, it refers to the gold '' histamena'' issued by Emperor Michael IV the Paphlagonian (r. 1034–1041) and, in sources of the late 11th and the 12th centuries, for those of Emperor Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1078), whose gold coinage was the last to retain a reasonably high amount of gold (16 carats) before the massive debasement that followed under his successors. It was in widespread use in Italy, especially the south, because it was virtually equal to the popular Sicilian ''tarì A tarì (from Arabic طري ''ṭarī'', lit. "fresh" or "newly minted money") was the Christian designation of a type of gold coin of Islamic origin minted in Sicily, Malta and Southern Italy from about 913 to the 13th century. History In the I ...''. Sources * {{Byzantine coinage G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
