![]() fibula Brooch with three pendants fastening a cloak at the wearer’s right shoulder. Marked off by an horizontal line (exergual line), it often contained a mint mark. exergue Lower segment of a coin design, usually but not always on the reverse. exagium Greek exagion Italian saggio. Literally a weight, usually one used for verifying the correct weight of a solidus. Applied by numismatists to gold alloys where the proportion of silver or copper affects the color of the coin. electrum Originally a natural alloy of gold and silver. ducat Latin ducatus, “of the duke” or “of the doge.” Term used principally for two Venetian denominations: (a) the gold coin first issued in 1284 (3.56 g at 99.7% fineness) (b) the silver grosso created by Enrico Dandolo in the late 12th century (2.18 g at 96.5% fineness). Must have occurred frequently since all coins required several blows. double-striking Blurring of the design occasioned by the die or the coin having slipped between successive hammer blows. donativa Distributions of gold and silver coins or objects to the army at regular intervals (accessions, imperial anniversaries, etc.). Islamic silver coin of an original value of 1/10 of a dinar. Originally an imitation of Byzantine solidus but slightly lighter (4.2 g instead of 4.5 g). Islamic gold coin struck from 672 onward. die Stamp used in coining, formerly often called iron (French fer) because it was made of this metal in the Middle Ages. On coins it applies only to the crowned emperor. Under the late Komnenoi, the title was given to a high-ranking person, coming third after the emperor and his coemperor. Officially used as imperial title from the 8th century onward. despoina) Greek equivalent of Latin dominus or domina, “master” or “mistress.” An important part of imperial titulature in the early Byzantine period. denomination Literally, the name of a coin by extension its legal valuation. 1–2 g and variable fineness which was the quasi-unique denomination of the Western monetary system in the 9th–11th centuries (b) the account unit of the Western monetary system, which the United Kingdom preserved through the 1974 decimalization and France through the Revolution (1 pound ( livre) = 20 shillings ( sous) = 240 pennies ( deniers) (c) a fraction of 1/12 measuring the fineness of silver coins (12d = 100% 8d = 66% 4d = 33%). Applied in the Middle Ages to: (a) a silver coin of ca. denarius or denier Latin denarius Italian denaro English penny German Pfennig, Denar. Copper coin worth ten nummi created by Anastasios I. cross potent Cross with equal arms, each of which has cross bars at the end. countermark Small letter or design punched on the face of a coin, usually in order to give it a different value. Christogram Initials of Christ formed by a Χ and Ρ combined, very frequent on coins of the 5th through 7th century. Christ Pantokrator Usual designation of the type of Christ depicted as older, with beard and asymmetrical long black hair. Christ Emmanuel Usual designation of the type of Christ depicted as young, beardless, and with short and curled hair. chlamys Imperial purple mantle fastened by a fibula at the right shoulder, leaving the arm free to move. carat Latin ceratonia siliqua, hence the synonymous denomination “siliqua.” Originally a measure of weight (± 0.189 g), then of fineness, of 1/24 (4.16%) since the solidus of almost pure gold weighed 24 carats. blank or flan Metal roundel onto which the die applies the monetary imprint. Blachernitissa Type of Virgin orans based on the icon venerated at the church of the Blachernai in Constantinople. billon Term used by numismatists for copper alloys with a less than 50% silver. basilika) Greek, “imperial.” Byzantine silver coin, created by Andronikos II, imitating a Venetian silver ducat. Appears on coins from the 8th century onward. Applied in Byzantine literary sources to the emperor and his spouse. basilissa) Classical Greek term for “king” (and “queen”). autokrator Greek, “sole ruler.” Imperial title rarely used in the middle Byzantine period but more frequently after. ![]() Used by modern numismatist for the flat coins of that period. assarion Term applied in Rhabdas’s 14th-century mathematical treatise to a copper coin. ![]() nomisma aspron trachy Greek, “rough and white nomisma.” Name applied to the cup-shaped 12th-century electrum coins, valued at 1/3 of the gold hyperpyron, and later to the similar 13th-century silver coin, valued at 1/10 or 1/12 hyperpyron, both called trikephala in documents. It was also applied in the eastern Mediterranean from the 12th through the 15th century to small silver coins, including the flat silver coin issued by the Trebizond emperors on the model of the Seljuq dirhem*. asper Greek aspron, “rough, fresh, white.” Term applied to the Byzantine trachy in electrum or billon. Akakia (or anexikakia) Cylinder of purple silk with dust inside which the emperor hold during ceremonies as a reminder of their mortal condition. ![]()
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