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Description

Coinage was an effective tool for representing imperial power in the Byzantine Empire. This short essay focuses on the evolution of power representation in coinage and argues that Byzantine emperors displayed power by employing classical Roman elements in their coinage. This argument is communicated through a chronological comparison of five coins ranging in date from 288 to 1425 C.E. These coins are a small example of the transition from imperial iconography to Christian iconography in which we see how classical forms are preserved even among a drastic change in style and narrative.

Keywords

Byzantium, Byzantine Empire, coinage, iconography, art

Disciplines

Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture | History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology

The Face of Power: A Chronological Comparison of Byzantine Coinage

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