Basil I Gold Solidus

On the reverso, Basil I is shown front-facing with a full-body image. Portrait likeness is less important than the imperial costume he wears. In other words, you know Basil I is the emperor, not because it looks like him, but because he is wearing the imperial dress of the emperor. Basil I also holds religious and devotional objects, displaying his religious piety to all. The front of the coin shows the majesty of Christ or the enthroned Christ. We know this is Christ because of the special cruxiform halo (a halo with a cross inside it) that adorns his face. Replacing the emperor with Christ shows how coinage became much more Christian in nature; Christ is shown as coming before the emperor, and it is implied that the emperor’s power comes directly from God himself.

Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact the Institutional Repository Librarian at digitalcommons@usu.edu.