By Alberto Trivero (Antvwala)
English Translation by Joseph Sermarini
Two great emperors mark Byzantine history with their presence, re-establishing greatness of the empire when its very survival is seriously threatened: Heraclius and Leo III the Isaurian.
Leo III was born in 675 in Gerrnanicea, the current Maras, in Isauria (Antalya, southern Anatolia). He embraced a military career distinguishing himself not only for his war capacity, but also for his skills as an organizer of civilian life. During the short reign of Anastasius II (713-715) he was made strategist, a role that was confirmed by Anastasius' successor: the helpless Theodosius III. Theodosius III was unable to defend the empire from Arab pressure, which threatened Constantinople itself. Leo made a truce with the Arabs, in 717, which allowed him to reach the capital with an army that quickly defeated the few forces still loyal to Theodosius. Theodosius was allowed to take refuge in a monastery in Ephesus, while Leo entered Constantinople, where on 25 March 717 he was acclaimed emperor.
Meanwhile, the Arabs, masters of a large part of Asia Minor and Thrace, were certain of their final victory. On 15 August they began the siege of Constantinople by sea and by land, but their fleet, made up of 1,800 vessels, was totally destroyed - only 5 ships survived - while they also suffered a clamorous defeat in Thrace. A few months later, the Byzantine Empire recovered most of their lost territories and returned to being the premier power in the Mediterranean.
Starting from 718, Leo 11 dedicated himself to reorganizing the resurrected empire, carrying out important reforms: administrative, abolishing the slavery of the servants; financial, reforming the currency with the introduction of a new silver denomination, the miliaresion; legislative, promulgating a code of laws (Ecloga) which combined and completed that of Justinian and which remained in force for about two centuries; religious, fighting the cult of images (iconoclasm): for this reason, he was excommunicated by Pope Gregory II. Although the Byzantine Empire had recovered its political prestige and military strength during the reign of the Isaurian, it was more torn than ever by religious disputes.
In 720, Leo III made his son Constantine, still a child, his co-emperor, thus starting the Isaurian dynasty. Upon the death of Leo III, on 18 June 741, Constantine was crowned emperor with the name of Constantine V.
The coinage of Leo III which depicts him alone, is scarce, as it corresponds to the initial period of the reign, when the emperor was busy strengthening the imperial institutions and defending the borders. After 720, Leo III always appears on the coinage together with his son Constantine. It then became relatively abundant, at least in relation to the previous period, both due to the renewed greatness of the empire and because under his reign there was an increase in commerce. This greater availability of coinage also occurred in Sicily, thanks to the Syracuse mint, even if this mint seems to have been less active than the Roman one. This remains a monetary typology that is not always clear and until a few decades ago, even little known. "Le monnayage de Le’on III a longtemps éte’ assez mal comm dans la mesure 012 lui était attribuée une se’rie de piéces qui appartenaient en fait a Leonce tandis que d’autres piéces lui appartenant e’taient au contraire dorme’es a Leon IV on méme a Le’on V."1 It was Philip Grierson who finally clarified the coinage of this emperor.
Seven types of folles minted at Syracuse during the reign of Leo III are known: on two he appears alone, while on five others he is accompanied by his son Constantine. Of course there is no shortage of interesting variations to the types main.
Regarding dating, the following periods can be considered:
- from 717 to 720: Leo III alone
- from 720 to 732: Youthful facing bust of Constantine V on the reverse above the M
- from 732 to 741: Leo III standing with Constantine V standing on reverse.
The two types of follis of the first period (717—720) are both very rare, for the reasons given above.
Type 1 Follis
Obv: Anepigraphic, full-length figure of Leo III standing facing, wearing helmet and lorica, short beard, spear in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand
Rev: Large M placed between two palm fronds, emperor's cruciform monogram above center, SCL in exergue
Refs: Trivero 089, Spahr 297, Calciati MBBS 72
Very Rare.2
Type 1a Follis (Type 1 variant)
Obv: Anepigraphic, half-length figure of Leo III facing, wearing helmet and lorica, short beard, spear in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand
Rev: Large M placed between two palm fronds, emperor's cruciform monogram above center, SCL in exergue
Refs: Trivero 090, Spahr -, Calciati MBBS -
Very Rare.
The
follis of the first type and its rarer 1a variant are difficult to distinguish. The flan for this type is usually smaller than the dies. On the normal type the emperor's body is often off flan, thus it resembles a facing bust, similar to the the variant. However they are distinguishable because on the normal type the height of the head alone is about 2/3 of the height of the M on the back, while on the variant it is about equal or taller than the height of the M.
However
they are distinguishable because in the follis of the first type the
height of the head alone is equal to 2/3 of the height of the M on the
back, while in the variant it is equal to the height of the M.
Type 2 Follis
Obv: Anepigraphic, half-length figure of Leo III facing,
wearing crown with cross and lorica, short beard, globus
cruciger in right hand
Rev: Large M, K/W left, emperor's cruciform monogram above center, SCL in exergue
Refs: Trivero 091, Spahr -, Calciati MBBS -
Very rare.
In the second period (720—732) three types were minted. In the first two follis, Leo III is represented on the obverse and on the reverse his son Constantine V is placed above the M: they possibly correspond to the years between 720 and 726. In the third follis, the figures are paired and its dating could refer to the period between 726 and 732.
Type 3 Follis
Obv: d N LEON-PAMYL. facing bust of Leo III, with short beard, wearing chlamys, globe cruciger in right hand.
Rev: d NO CO-NSTAN. Large M, facing bust of Constantine V above, wearing chlamys, globe cruciger in right hand.
Refs: Trivero 092, Spahr 318, Calciati MBBS 74.
Rare.
Type 4 Follis
Obv: d N LEON / PAMYL. facing bust of Leo III, with short beard, wearing chlamys, globe cruciger in right hand.
Rev: d NO CO-NSTAN. Large M, facing bust of Constantine V above, wearing chlamys, globe cruciger in left hand.
Refs: Trivero 093, Spahr -, Calciati MBBS 74/2.3
Extremely rare.
Type 5 Follis
Obv: Anepigraphic, facing crowned busts of Leo III, bearded, and Constantine V, beardless, both wearing chlamys and holding globus cruciger in right hand.
Rev: Large M, emperor's cruciform monogram above, SCL in exergue.
Refs: Trivero 094, Spahr 317, Calciati MBBS 73.
Rare.
Finally, two follis correspond to the third period (from 742 to 741), the first of which is the only relatively common follis of Leo III, even if it is very rare to find it in good condition and, above all, complete in the legend, while the second, which is part of my collection, and extremely rare and probably unpublished.
Type 6 Follis
Obv: ΛEON / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Leo III standing facing, bearded, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Rev: KWNS / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Constantine V standing facing, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Refs: Trivero 095, Spahr 319, Calciati MBBS 75.
Type 6a Follis (Type 6 variant)
Obv: ΛEON / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Leo III standing facing, bearded, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Rev: KWNS / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Constantine V standing facing, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Refs: Trivero 095a, Spahr -, Calciati MBBS -.
Rare.
Type 6b Follis (Type 6 variant)
Obv: ΛEON / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Leo III standing facing, bearded, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Rev: KWNS / ∆ECΠ. Full-length figure of Constantine V standing facing, beardless, wearing crown and chlamys, akakia in right hand.
Refs: Trivero 095b, Spahr 321, Calciati MBBS -.
Rare.
It is very difficult to distinguish the sixth type follis from the analogous one of Constantine V. In the auction lists, the attribution of this particular coin to one or the other emperor is often arbitrary: this is also confirmed by the fact that, on more than one occasion, the same coin appears again on different price lists, changing the attribution. The most visible difference between the two follis lies in the portrait with beard and mustache, which is present on only one face: if it corresponds to the one with the legend KWNS / ∆EC, then it is a follis of Constantine V; if instead it corresponds to the one with the legend LEON / ∆ECΠ, it corresponds to Leo III. Obviously this recognition is possible only if the conservation of the coin is good enough to allow to distinguish whether or not there is a beard and mustache, which does not happen often. The letters 0 and W often replace each other; other times the ∆ECΠ legend loses the final Π, i.e. it is placed in the field.
Obverse Reverse
6 6a 6b 6 6a 6b
Home
