BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Early Period.

Constantine established precedents for the harmony of church and imperial authorities that persisted throughout the history of the empire. These included his creation of a successful new monetary system based on the gold solidus, or nomisma, which lasted into the middle of the 11th century. The commercial prosperity of the 4th through the 6th century enabled many ancient cities to flourish. Large estates dominated agriculture, and while heavy taxation resulted in much abandonment of land, agriculture continued to be productive. The church acquired vast landed estates and, along with the emperor himself, was the largest landholder during most of the empire’s history. Rigorous imperial regulation of the purity and supply of precious metals, as well as the organization of commerce and artisanship, characterized economic life.

Emperor Justinian I and his wife, Theodora, attempted to restore the former majesty, intellectual quality, and geographic limits of the Roman Empire. At great cost, they reconquered, between 534 and 565, North Africa, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, and parts of Spain. This effort, however, together with substantial expenses incurred in erecting public buildings and churches—in particular, Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom) in Constantinople—overstrained the empire’s resources, while plagues reduced its population.

Heraclius, Emperor of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire, reorganized the Byzantine imperial administration and the imperial armies and strengthened the Empire in the process. During his reign, pivotal changes took place in the Balkans and the Middle East.

CURRENCY IN THE AGE OF JUSTINIAN AND HERACLIUS:

Imperial currency was based on a gold SOLIDUS (in Greek nomisma), struck at 72 to the Roman pound (4.48 grs.) and 99-99.5% fine. Gold fractions of SEMIS (1/2 solidus) and TREMISSIS (1/3 solidus) were minted. Each soldius was reckoned as composing 24 carats (siliquae), divisions by weight against which ceremonial silver denominations were struck. In 615 Heraclius reintroduced a large silver coin, the HEXAGRAM (6.75 grs.), exchanged at 12 to the solidus, when he coined ecclesiastical plate during the Persian War.

The archaeologists, whose excitement at finding the coins can barely be overstated, are still hoping to find answers to these questions: What was the nature of this building? Under what circumstances was it destroyed? Why were the coins buried there? How is it that they were forgotten, abandoned, or rendered inaccessible?
Searching for the answers to these and other riddles, the combing of the site continues.

But in the 17th year however after the capture of Jerusalem, in the 3rd year after the murder of Khosro, in the 21st year after the accession of Heraclius, the 3rd indiction, the Persian general Rasmi-Ozan slew the Persian king Artasir, whom we mentioned above. He seized the kingdom, became an ally of the Greeks, and bestowed on the King Heraclius the life-giving tree, the Cross of Christ, as the treasure of the whole world, and as the richest of gifts, and he gave it him. But King Heraclius took it to Jerusalem on the occasion of his going there with Martina, who was daughter of his father's brother; and he had married her against the law, and therefore was very much afraid that the high priests would rebuke him on the score of that indecent action. And when he had entered Jerusalem, he on the 21st of the month of March re-established in its own place the glorious and precious tree of the Cross, sealed as before in a chest, just as it had been carried away. And it was set up altogether unopened; for just as the ark of the covenant was left unopened among strangers, so was left the life-giving tree of the Cross, which had vanquished death and trampled on Hell. Then King Heraclius, seeing the glorious event—namely, the restoration of the holy places, which had been rebuilt by the blessed Modestus, was much rejoiced and ordered him to be consecrated patriarch over Jerusalem; for the blessed Zachariah had died in Persia, and the church was widowed.