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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Roman Coins| ▸ |The Late Empire| ▸ |Anastasius I||View Options:  |  |  |   

Anastasius I, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.

After Zeno died without designating a successor, the Empress Ariadne was called upon to select a new emperor. Her choice was an obscure but successful finance civil servant, Anastasius. She made a wise choice. Anastasius ruled successfully for 27 years. His financial expertise resulted in the accumulation of 320,000 pounds of gold! He also restructured the currency system, creating the nummus unit of account and the follis of 40 nummi. Because of the dramatic changes, Anastasius' reform is often seen by numismatists as the end of Roman coinage and the beginning of Byzantine coinage. The people of the empire didn't see it that way and continued to call themselves Romans until the fall of Constantinople on 29 May 1453. Map 500 AD

Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.

|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
Anastasius converted the government to monetary payments, mandating that taxes be paid with cash rather than with goods, and also paying for goods and services with cash. This practice decreased the potential for embezzlement and the need for transportation and storage of supplies. It also allowed for easier accounting. He eliminated the practice of providing soldiers with their arms and uniforms; instead he allotted each soldier a generous sum of money with which to purchase their own. These changes to imperial policy seem to have worked well; taxpayers often paid smaller tax bills than they had before, while government revenue increased. The increase in revenue allowed the emperor to pay soldiers a higher wage, which attracted native Roman soldiers to the military, as opposed to the barbarian and Isaurian mercenaries which some previous emperors had been forced to rely on.
SL96957. Gold solidus, DOC I 7j, Tolstoi 9, Ratto 321, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/14, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, Wroth BMC -, XF, pierced, bent and straightened (4284830-017), 10th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC I (victory of the three emperors, 10th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with (inverted staurogram) in right hand, star left, CONOB in exergue; NGC| Lookup; SOLD


Byzantine Empire, Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.

|Anastasius| |I|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
In 498, Anastasius abolished the tax known as the chrysargyron. The tax applied to all merchants, money-lenders, craftsmen, and others who received fees for their work, including prostitutes. The only exemptions were physicians, teachers, and farmers selling their own produce. Because it was collected in one lump sum only once every four years, the tax caused great hardships. Parents were sometimes forced to sell their children into slavery or prostitution to meet the levy. The city of Edessa, which was relieved of a tax of 140 pounds of gold every four years (2,520 solidi annually), celebrated with a week of festivities.
SH62360. Gold solidus, DOC I 7e, Wroth BMC 4, Tolstoi 5, Ratto 316, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, Morrisson BnF -, aEF, weak centers, weight 4.468 g, maximum diameter 21.2 mm, die axis 180o, 5th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORIA AVGGG E (victory of the three emperors, 5th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with (inverted staurogram) in right hand, star left, CONOB in exergue; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
Anastasius I came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, Zeno. He is noted for leaving the imperial government with a sizeable budget surplus of 23,000,000 solidi by reducing government corruption, reforming the tax code, and currency reform. He is venerated as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church. His improvements to the government, economy, and bureaucracy of the Eastern Roman empire were so dramatic that he is often described as the first Byzantine emperor.
SH19013. Gold solidus, SBCV 3, DOC I 3c, aEF, weight 4.408 g, maximum diameter 20.6 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 491 - 498 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC Γ CONOB, Victory standing half left, head left, long jeweled cross in right, star right; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
In 493, Odoacer agreed to a mediated peace with Theodoric the Great but when they met Theodric killed him personally. Theodoric was crowned king of the Ostrogoths and moved the capital to Ravenna.
SH52917. Gold solidus, DOC I 7c, Wroth BMC 2, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/10, Tolstoi 3, Ratto 316, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, VF, weight 4.239 g, maximum diameter 20.9 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC Γ, Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with (inverted staurogram) in right hand, star left, CONOB in exergue; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||tremissis|
After Zeno died, Empress Ariadne selected an obscure successful finance civil servant, Anastasius to be her husband and emperor. He ruled for 27 years, restructured the currency system and accumulated of 320,000 pounds of gold! His dramatic change in coinage was the beginning of a uniquely Byzantine coinage.
SH30389. Gold tremissis, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/Av/23, DOC I 10, Wroth BMC 10, Tolstoi 12, Ratto 327, SBCV 8, Sommer 1.7, EF, well centered, light graffito on obv., weight 1.454 g, maximum diameter 14.6 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse VICTORIA AVGVSTORVM (to the victory of the Emperor), Victory advancing right, head left, wreath in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand, star right, CONOB in exergue; SOLD


Byzantine Empire, Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.

|Anastasius| |I|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
"Zeno died on April 11, 491 from a fit of epilepsy, without leaving a clear successor. His son by his first marriage, also named Zeno, had died before reaching adulthood, and his brother Longinus had a reputation for debauchery. The question of a successor was left to his widow, the Augusta Ariadne, who appeared at the Hippodrome before the populace which cried out for an orthodox Christian (as opposed to a Monophysite Christian) and "Roman" (probably as opposed to another crude Isaurian) emperor. Her chief ministers held a council and decided to leave the choice entirely up to Ariadne. She selected the sixty-one-year old Anastasius, who not only had a reputation for integrity, but was handsome in addition. Unfortunately Anastasius had drifted to the Monophysite position, and the Patriarch of Constantinopolis (Istanbul, Turkey) required him to sign an orthodox profession of faith before he gave his blessing him. Anastasius did so and was introduced to the populace and acclaimed by the troops in the Hippodrome on the following day. Immediately following his acclamation by the populace and the troops, the Patriarch crowned him, making the elevation of an emperor a religious event for the first time. Ariadne married the new emperor only six weeks later on May 20, 491." - Moneta Historical Reference
SH06898. Gold solidus, DOC I 7g, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/12, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, Wroth BMC -, Ratto -, Tolstoi -, EF, well struck, portrait with character, flow lines, cross graffiti in right obverse field, slightly wavy flan, weight 4.34 g, maximum diameter 20.9 mm, die axis 180o, 7th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORIA AVGGG Z (victory of the three emperors, 7th officina), Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with (inverted staurogram) in right hand, star left, CONOB in exergue; from the Scott Collection; SOLD


Anastasius, 11 April 491 - 1 July 518 A.D.

|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||semissis|
After Zeno died, Empress Ariadne selected an obscure successful finance civil servant, Anastasius to be her husband and emperor. He ruled for 27 years, restructured the currency system and accumulated of 320,000 pounds of gold! His dramatic change in coinage was the beginning of a uniquely Byzantine coinage.
SH112689. Gold semissis, DOC 1 9, Wroth BMC 8, Tolstoi 10, Ratto 324, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/19, Hahn MIB III 10, SBCV 7, Sommer 1.6, aVF, broad flan, flow lines, scratches, edge bend, small encrustations, graffiti on obv., weight 2.003 g, maximum diameter 18.2 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, 498/507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTASIVS P P AVG, pearl-diademed, draped, and cuirassed bust right; reverse VICTORIA AVGGG (victory of the three emperors), Victory seated right on shield and cuirass, inscribing XXXX on shield set on knee, star left, P (staurogram) right, CONOB in exergue; ex Obolos auction 20 (3 Oct 2021), lot 1341; scarce; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
"The Bulgarians, descendants of the Huns, invaded the Empire in 499, 502, and again in 517. Anastasius' response was to build yet another set of walls for Constantinopolis (its third) sometime between 499 and 507. This eleven-foot-thick wall, called the Long Wall, was built forty miles west of the capital and ran forty-one miles from the Propontis to the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea)." - Moneta Historical Reference
SH17770. Gold solidus, SBCV 3, DOC I 3f, nice VF, weight 4.423 g, maximum diameter 20.0 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 491 - 498 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC S, Victoria standing left, long jeweled cross in right resting on ground; star right, CONOB in exergue; from the Woolslayer Collection; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
Anastasius I came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, Zeno. He is noted for leaving the imperial government with a sizeable budget surplus of 23,000,000 solidi by reducing government corruption, reforming the tax code, and currency reform. He is venerated as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church. His improvements to the government, economy, and bureaucracy of the Eastern Roman empire were so dramatic that he is often described as the first Byzantine emperor.
SH17773. Gold solidus, DOC I 7j, Tolstoi 9, Ratto 321, Morrisson BnF 1/Cp/AV/14, Hahn MIBE 7, Sommer 1.4, SBCV 5, Wroth BMC -, VF, small flat strike area, minor marks, wavy, bold portrait, weight 4.269 g, maximum diameter 20.2 mm, die axis 180o, 10th officina, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 507 - 518 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVC, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORI-A AVCCC I, Victoria standing half left, head left, long staff topped with (inverted staurogram) in right hand, star left, CONOB in exergue; SOLD


|Anastasius| |I|, |Anastasius,| |11| |April| |491| |-| |1| |July| |518| |A.D.||solidus|
"Anastasius' fiscal policy was extremely frugal state spending, coupled with encouragement of industry. Such a policy left the Empire much richer at his death (by 320,000 pounds of gold) than he had found it. He carried out a coinage reform in 498 which resulted in a sweeping change of the bronze coinage, with copious supplies of large bronze coins available for the first time since the reign of Julian the Apostate (see JULIAN II). Their design also radically differed from all previous Roman coinage to an extant such that their introduction is usually taken as the break-point between Roman and Byzantine coinage." - Moneta Historical Reference
SH15700. Gold solidus, SBCV 3, DOC I 3h, EF, lustrous fields, flan flaw on reverse, weight 4.417 g, maximum diameter 20.9 mm, die axis 180o, Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey) mint, c. 491 - 498 A.D.; obverse D N ANASTA-SIVS P P AVG, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly right, helmet with plume, trefoil ornament and diadem, pellets on cuirass, spear in right hand and behind head, shield on left arm ornamented with mounted cavalryman right attacking prostrate enemy; reverse VICTORIA AVGGG Θ (victory of the three emperors, 9th officina), Victoria standing left, long jeweled cross in right, star right, CONOB in exergue; SOLD




  




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OBVERSE| LEGENDS|

DNANASTASIVSPFAVG
DNANASTASIVSPPAVG
DNANASTASIVSPERPAV


REFERENCES|

Bellinger, A. Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. I, Anastasius I to Maurice, 491-602. (Washington D.C., 1966).
Berk, H. Eastern Roman Successors of the Sestertius. (Chicago, 1987).
Berk, H. Roman Gold Coins of the Medieval World, 383 - 1453 A.D. (Joliet, IL, 1986).
Carson, R., P. Hill & J. Kent. Late Roman Bronze Coinage. (London, 1960).
Cohen, H. Description historique des monnaies frappées sous l'Empire Romain, Vol. 8: Nepotian to Romulus Augustus, plus tesserae & cotorniates. (Paris, 1888).
Depeyrot, G. Les monnaies d'or de Constantin II à Zenon (337-491). Moneta 5. (Wetteren, 1996).
Grierson, P. Byzantine Coins. (London, 1982).
Hahn, W. Moneta Imperii Byzantini, Volume 1: Anastasius I - Justinianus I (491 - 565). (Vienna, 1973).
Hahn, W. & M. Metlich. Money of the Insipient Byzantine Empire. (Vienna, 2000).
Hennequin, G. Catalogue des monnaies musulmanes de la Bibliotheque Nationale. (Paris, 1985).
Kent, J. The Roman Imperial Coinage, Volume X, The Divided Empire and the Fall of the Western Parts, AD 395 - 491. (London, 1994).
King, C. & D. Sear. Roman Silver Coins, Volume V, Carausius to Romulus Augustus. (London, 1987).
Metlich, M. The Coinage of Ostrogothic Italy. (London, 2004).
Morrisson, C. Catalogue des Monnaies Byzantines de la Bibliothèque Nationale. (Paris, 1970).
Ratto, R. Monnaies Byzantines et d'autre Pays contemporaines à l'époque byzantine. (Lugano, 1930).
Sabatier, J. Description générale des monnaies Byzantines. (Paris, 1863).
Sear, D. Byzantine Coins and Their Values. (London, 1987).
Sear, D. Roman Coins and Their Values, Vol. V: The Christian Empire...Constantine II to Zeno, AD 337 - 491. (London, 2014).
Sommer, A. Die Münzen des Byzantinischen Reiches 491-1453. Mit einem Anhang: Die Münzen des Kaiserreichs von Trapezunt. (Regenstauf, 2010).
Tolstoi, I. Monnaies byzantines. (St. Petersburg, 1913 - 14).
Vagi, D. Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. (Sidney, 1999).
Wroth, W. Catalogue of the Coins of the Vandals, Ostrogoths, Lombards and of the Empires of Thessalonica, Nicaea, and Trebizond in the British Museum. (London, 1911).
Wroth, W. Catalogue of the Imperial Byzantine Coins in the British Museum. (London, 1908).

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