AV Solidus Nicephorus and Stauricus

I can relate! My other collecting passion, military trade tokens, only one other person on the board collects and their focus area is very different than mine. My Davis-Monthan post got two likes...and no replies Well it wasn't a very good post anyway.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Ehm? Did the author really say that? or was it just a slack conclusion from you?

Because the idea of a Byzantium that supposedly was specific inflicted with intrigues and palace d’coups is practically a notion from 1700 or so, and is no longer accepted among the scholars today just as the same reason why books on child-rearing from 1700 where suggestion of beating children on faces no longer is accepted among the psychologists.

Roman Empire (plus all others) were just as much/little intrigues as Byzantium.

Roman Republic time and Imperial pre-Constantian time (also) had intrigues, murders, wars etc etc. Apparently as much as their Byzantium counterpart. From my mind right now I can bring up the Sulla-Marius squabbling over Jugartha. The social war. The assassinations of the Gracchus brothers. Julius Caesar’s death. First triumvirates?, bloody. Second triumvirates with Octavian and Anthony?, bloody as well. When Octavian realized that Cleopatra had a child with Caesar named Caesarion, he was also killed. Later when the family of Germanicus took the emperor throne it is pointless to suggest how Caligula and Nero acted like, and Agrippina is almost synonym with poisons. During the crisis in the 200’s almost all those so-called solidier-emperors were easily assassinated one after one in very short time.

An emperor in Roman Empire from the time of Augustus until Diocletian had an average reign years of about 8 years. Post Constantinian era from Arcadius and onwards had about 12 years as average in comparison. Note also that the eastern part of the Roman Empire practically survived century after century after century for about 1000 years meanwhile the others empires typical lasted for only about 100 or 200 years in the Middle Ages. An empire that lasts for 1000 years is certainly not the most intrigue.

If the author really repeated the classical flawed notion and said that Byzantium was specific filled with murders and intrigues then it would surprise me a bit as it really contradicts what was taught as history student when I had ancient and medieval at uni.

For a clarification I would like to say that the above should not be taking as critics against you nor as an annoying remark from me, and since a text always sounds harsher than a speak I will provide a smiley:

 

LOL, ok, LOL, smiley accepted. I won't badger you about "Dark Ages" anymore.

 

Not at all. That would not bother me as the most of what I am saying here just is what the majority of other historians are suggesting.

But frankly, the European Middle Ages is not considered to be a dark ages with a stationary process as there indeed was made numerous contributions in various fields, and Byzantium certainly was not a specific entity filled with intrigues.

I don’t want to sound arrogant, but if you went to a class of history students at a university they will all tell you somehow the same thing as I am saying. Because there is big different between popular misconceptions on one side, and what actually is accepted among historians today.

Have a nice day.

 

I actually took MANY ancient history courses at University. I also read ancient histories over my career.

 

Can I ask when and where?

What sort of courses? Bachelor?

Were the professors or assistant professors, who taught you, historians?


EDIT:

And what sort of "ancient histories" do you read? Modern ancient sholars like PA Brunt, Santosuosso or David Potter?...

 

Herberto, it is just not worth going there. Why must this enjoyable hobby be a controversy about history? I enjoy ancient history, military history, and most histories. However, it is for my personal enjoyment, and it is not my career. I have been very successful in my chosen career, rising to the top in my vocation. Enjoying histories have been one of my many diversions, among many other hobbies.

 

Whatever else can be said of the Byzantine Empire, and I mostly agree with all the posts, it persisted for a thousand years after the collapse of the western Roman Empire and reverberates still to this day.

But, I'm glad that was all before I was born.....Even the term 'Byzantine' now refers to the complicated and convoluted LOL

 

Nailed it!

 

Very true about the "Dark Ages" being misleading. The Early Middle Ages (the proper term) is in general less documented than the ancient era before it and the later Middle Ages and Renaissance after it, and so is less understood by comparison.

While economy and trade declined as a whole in western Europe and society was not as culturally-inclined as their predecessors, the Early Middle Ages had several merits of its own. Out of that era came the beautiful manuscripts that would come to dominate professional medieval writing. Scribes and monks during this era worked hard to preserve the Greco-Roman works that we read and enjoy today. While the political unity under the Romans was gone, religious unity in western Europe stood firm for the most part, with the Roman Catholic Church, filling in the gap the Roman Empire had left, providing stability. The first universities for higher learning were established during this period. The Carolingian Renaissance took place during this period and was a rebirth of art, literature, architecture, and writing. In the east, the Roman Empire still existed, and from there came the compilation of Roman law known as the Corpus Iuris Civilis. Also in the east during this period, the Islamic lands were going through a golden age full of cultural, economic, and intellectual advancement, and goods and knowledge were traded between the Islamic lands and western Europe.

I know I haven't covered everything but just wanted to give support to the fact that the Early Middle Ages weren't "dark" like everyone mistakenly believes

 

You were doing very good up to this point. If someone is mistaken, no need to challenge them. Just educate them and move on.

 

Personal enjoyment?!!

=> hey, there's no room for fun in this hobby (get in line!!)

 

Yeah. What he said!

 

Love the Stauricius follis, that is a great coin and quite scarce.
Nicephoros. I have one of his sole reign pieces, Syracuse mint.
Not photoed at this time, maybe I'll have to do so soon and put it out to the group.

Valiant Knight, enjoy the class. It will really give you insight into the Byzantine/Romaion world. I had the pleasure of teaching a mini-seminar a few years ago.

A very good all around book as an overview of the Byzantine world is Byzantium The Empire of New Rome by Cyril Mango.
It is very concise, very informative, and a good read. I'm sure you can find it used at www.powells.com or Abes Books.

One other observation about the world of the Byzantines is it's overlap into other cultures and citizens of that age. Enjoy your stay in Colorado Springs. It is coin geek heaven.

 

Ancientcoinguru is the one thats going. I wish I was taking a course on Byzantine history/coins. I almost took a course on Roman history in undergrad, but instead opted for medieval history. IIRC it was a better fit into the schedule I had.

 

Oh and thanks for the book suggestion @Black Friar. Definitely will try to pick it up if I can.

 

I am attending An Introduction to Byzantine and Associated Dark Age Coinage (Sunday-Wednesday, June 26-29) at ANA in Colorado Springs. Here's the blurb from ANA, in case any of you are interested in attending.

"After the fall of Rome, the western part of the empire was thrown into a period commonly referred to as the dark ages. The Roman Empire continued in the east for another 1000 years and was the dominant central economic and cultural center of the Mediterranean for most of that time. The Coinage of the Byzantine era set the baseline for coinage of the Mediterranean basin during this time and is imitated and copied by the Germanic tribes that inhabited the east as well as the early Islamic coinage in the Levant. Starting with the currency reform of Anastasius this course focusses on byzantine coinage of the following 700 years as well as touching on the imitative coinage of the main Germanic tribes and Arab conquerors. Also discussed will be associated weights and seals of this era, giving the beginning student an understanding of the coinage, weight and seal types, how to read and catalog them, and interpret them leading to an overall introduction to this interesting era."​

 

Oh you wait, Byzantine history is quite nutty and entertaining as any. You wont be disappointed.

 

Not to toot my own horn but one of my coin images is being used as the cover photo of a book on classical Byzantine history coming out late this year, early next year.

 

My solidi so far.