Proskynesis before Christ - Palaeologan Piety and the Curious Case of the Kneeling Emperor - Papacy

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by The Trachy Enjoyer, Jul 7, 2021.

  1. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    Its not often a ancient ruler presents himself on coinage as weak or meek. From appearances with the god of war to outright brandishing of weapons, ancient kings and emperors used coins as propaganda to display power. From peace to crisis the message never changed but increased in intensity. One ruler set himself out, however, in one of the most unique coin designs in all of history. The divinely appointed Emperor of the Romans, supreme authority of the world in charge of the oldest empire then known, knelt piously in proskynesis before Christ. From the infallible, divine dominate has come the humble Christian.
    22067.PNG

    Andronikos II Palaeologus Hyperpyron, Constantinople mint, sole reign 1282-1295.
    Obv. MP - OV
    Bust of Virgin Mary, orans, within city walls furnished with six groups of towers.

    Rev. +/ANΔPO/ΔNIKICA/ΔΠIΠO/ΔNHCO (Correctly spelled: +ANΔP/ONIKOC/EN XW ΔECΠO/THC O), IC XC
    Nimbate Andronicus II crouching in proskynesis before Christ, standing facing, holding book in his left hand and placing his right hand on the head of the emperor.
    "Andronikos, by the Grace of God Despot of the Romans" (translation may be a bit inaccurate but I have tried my best:grumpy:).

    The most remarkable aspect of this coin is the Emperor depicting himself in Proskynesis before God. See below for a comparison to a 9th century mosaic of the Emperor Leo IV "The Wise" in the same pose (with Christ seated whereas on the coin, Christ is standing).
    image0 (2)_scrubbed.png
    No other coin like this type really exists. Searching for Proskynesis in the usual databases only pull this hyperpyron. It was (and in someparts still is) viewed as the ultimate act of reverence and love for Christ, the very pose all the Apostles fell to upon seeing Christ risen from he dead.

    Matthew 28:7-9 - Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.

    IMG_0659_scrubbed.png IMG_0660_scrubbed.png

    Was this an ultimate act of overt humility by a devout Emperor? Or rather an attempt to gain popularity by portraying himself as pious? Would a truly humble person depict themselves as such on a coin? Perhaps a question better left to the philosopher...;)

    There is some speculation that the type ties into Andronikos' annulment of the extremely unpopular union of the Orthodox church with/subservient to the Papacy signed by his father, Michael VIII. This extremely unusual coin could have been a way to distance Andronikos from the "taint" (as viewed by his subjects) of the Catholic church. How could an emperor who so piously worships God even be thought of as a Catholic sympathizer:meh:

    Such a fun type need not be (comparatively) expensive. This cost me 220 pounds:happy:...I won't be getting new coins for a while but it was worth it! Share your thoughts and/or related coins below!
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
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  3. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    That's a very interesting coin @The Trachy Enjoyer. I think your coin is featured on the cover of the book "The Later Palaeologan Coinage" by Bendall and Donald. Here is a photo of my copy of the book. I think this book is commonly called "LPC". It has drawings of coins, not photos. But it is much easier to find, than Bendall's other book "A Private Collection Of Palaeologan Coins", commonly called "PCPC", I think. In the LPC book, there are several types of coins with proskynesis, during the reign of Andronicus II.
    1. LPC page 34 coin 1, which the authors call a "Gold Hyperperon" (the authors' spelling). The emperor is on the left, kneeling in proskynesis before Christ. Christ is standing on the right.
    2. LPC page 38 coin 8, which the authors call a "Trachy". Is it a bronze coin? The book doesn't say. It has 3 figures on the obverse. Mary is standing on the left. Mary is introducing the emperor to Christ. The emperor is in the center, kneeling in proskynesis before Christ. Christ is standing on the right.
    3. LPC page 40 coin 9, which the authors call a "Trachy". Is it a bronze coin? The book doesn't say. The emperor is on the left, kneeling in proskynesis before Christ. Christ is standing on the right.
    There may be other types of Byzantine Palaeologan coins with proskynesis. I'll keep looking.
    By the way, in your OP, you mentioned "Leo IV The Wise", but I think this is a typo. I think you meant to say "Leo VI The Wise".
    Bendall_And_Donald_The_Later_Palaeologan_Coinage_1_smaller.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
  4. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    Yep, typo! Good catch!

    Also some of those coins show figures kneeling but not necessarily in Proskynesis. This is the only type where it really is without a doubt. I think his predecessor Michael VIII has AU and AE types where the emperor is basically standing on his knees but not on all fours in reverence
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
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  5. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    In the LPC book, for the 3 coin types I mentioned (which are all Andronicus II), the authors specifically say, that the Emperor is kneeling in proskynesis. But you may be right. The actual pose may not be proskynesis. I don't know. I guess I'll do some reading, about proskynesis. I'll check ACsearch, and elsewhere, to see if I can find any photos of these coin types.
     
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  6. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    Neat! If AE types exist, even better! I will have to keep an eye out for one. If you find pictures please share!
     
  7. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    Another brilliant post with another brilliant coin, @The Trachy Enjoyer. Just before running into this, I was listening to an old broadcast about the Schism of 1054 and its aftermath, from a favorite BBC program, "In Our Time:" https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054921
    For what it's worth, the remarkable issue of Andronikos II strikes me as being fraught with both political and theological resonances, at a time when the two dynamics were intertwined to a remarkable, if (sadly) a less than unique degree. The traditional Byzantine attitude toward the Catholic West is evocative of the eastern Christians under Muslim rule, who not infrequently became a kind of fifth column in reverse, supporting the Muslims against incursions by, initially, the Byzantines themselves (in the case of the Egyptian Copts), followed by the Frankish Crusaders. Such communities often preferred the traditional (albeit qualified) pluralism of Muslim rule to the more militant enforcement of competing Christian orthodoxies (--please note the lower-case 'o'!).
     
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  8. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Definitely. I am wondering something. I wonder if the Emperor on your coin is on all fours. I can't tell for sure. It looks like your coin is the same type, as the type on the cover of the LPC book, with a (loros?) hanging down from his neck. Except that, on your coin, maybe his hands are on a stair or platform. On the LPC book cover, there is no such stair or platform shown. I wonder if the authors forgot to draw the stair or platform. Or maybe the die engraver forgot to engrave a stair or platform, on some of the dies. All the more reason, for me to find photos of these coin types.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2021
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  9. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    Well said. Food for thought is that the Anatolian border collapsed to the Turks during Andronikos’ reign. I believe the issue mainly portrays Andronikos as a pious, Christian Emperor with the intended benefit of emphasizing the capital-“o” Orthodoxy of Andronikos. However, this imagery could also have been a public way of appealing to God and trying to divert blame of territorial loss away from the emperor
     
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  10. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    I think the ‘platform’ section is meant to be robes draping off his arms. See this example https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=567019 which has a better strike near the bottom of the coin
     
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  11. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    @The Trachy Enjoyer You mentioned in your post # 3 above :
    "Also some of those coins show figures kneeling but not necessarily in Proskynesis. This is the only type where it really is without a doubt. I think his predecessor Michael VIII has AU and AE types where the emperor is basically standing on his knees but not on all fours in reverence"
    And you mentioned :
    It seemed like you were saying in your post # 3 above, that the Emperor must be on all fours, to be in proskynesis. Do you believe, that the Emperor on your coin, is on all fours? Do you intend "on all fours" to mean, that the Emperor's hands are on the ground, and the Emperor's knees are on the ground? Or do you intend "on all fours" to mean, that the Emperor must be on his knees, with his torso parallel to the ground (torso horizontal, not vertical), and his arms lowered, but his hands not necessarily touching the ground?
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  12. +VGO.DVCKS

    +VGO.DVCKS Well-Known Member

    Thanks for your kind words. Regarding your observations about Andronikos' motives for the issue, one thing that you and @Only a Poor Old Man have made me newly aware of is the likelihood that, while more than one could be involved, the sincerity of the religious component could remain essentially uncompromised. Reminiscent of some of the Psalms attributed to King David. ...I like that the more I think about it.
     
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  13. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Here is a Wikipedia article on Proskynesis :
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proskynesis
    The Wikipedia article says :
    "In the Byzantine ceremonial it was a common gesture of supplication or reverence. The physical act ranged from full prostration to a genuflection, a bow, or a simple greeting and concretized the relative positions of performer and beneficiary within a hierarchical order (taxis)."
    On the other hand, the Wikipedia article also says :
    "among the Persians, it was that a man prostrated himself and kissed the earth, kissed the arms or legs of a respected person. Proskynesis (adoratio) was one of the religious rites of the Greeks and Romans."
    Regardless of the definition of Proskynesis, I guess you are saying, that the Emperor on your coin, exhibits a degree of Proskynesis, which is to a greater degree, than almost all other Byzantine coin types, or perhaps all other Byzantine coin types.
    I'll see, if I can find any photos, of any other Byzantine coin types, which show the same degree of Proskynesis, as the Emperor on your coin.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  14. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    I've been trying to find other Byzantine coin types, which show the Emperor with the same degree of Proskynesis, as the Emperor on your coin. These Proskynesis coins seem to be hard to find. Here's what I've found so far.
    I found a couple of bronze trachy types, with a lesser degree of Proskynesis, in Dumbarton Oaks Volume 5 Part 2, Andronicus II coin types 563 to 566. They are described as "Emp. crouching in Proskynesis". However, in the photos of these coins, the Emperor's torso is not horizontal like on your coin, but at a 45 degree angle. Therefore, they show a lesser degree of Proskynesis. The Dumbarton Oaks photos are poor quality, because I only have the PDF version of the books. The photos for types 564 and 565 are missing too much of the Emperor to be of any use in this discussion. Therefore, I only show the photos for types 563 and 566.
    These coin types correspond to Sear 2334, and LPC page 40 coin type 9, according to Dumbarton Oaks.
    Proskynesis_Dumbarton_Oaks_Volume_5_Part_2_Coins_563_To_566_description_1_and_2.jpg Proskynesis_Dumbarton_Oaks_Volume_5_Part_2_Coin_Types_563_And_566_photos.jpg
    Below are the drawings from the LPC book.
    Below is LPC page 34 coin type 1 : "Gold Hyperperon" (author's spelling) with "Proskynesis" (authors' word choice)
    This is also Sear 2326, according to Sear. Sear has a photo of the coin.
    The Sear photo is somewhat different, versus the LPC drawing.
    Your gold coin seems to be Sear 2326, judging by the Sear photo.
    Also, a search on ACsearch : Proskynesis "andronicus ii"
    found 3 gold coins. The descriptions for all 3 coins, state that they are Sear 2326.
    Proskynesis_LPC_Page_34_Coin_1_smallest.jpg
    Below is LPC page 38 coin type 8 : "Trachy" with "Proskynesis" (authors' word choice)
    This is also Sear 2332, according to Sear and Dumbarton Oaks. Unfortunately, Sear has no photo of the coin.
    This is also Dumbarton Oaks Volume 5 Part 2 Andronicus II coin type 562. Unfortunately, the coin in the Dumbarton Oaks photo for coin type 562, is too weak where the Emperor is, therefore the Emperor is not visible, therefore the photo is not helpful for this discussion.
    Sear describes this coin type, as "AE Trachy".
    Dumbarton Oaks describes this coin type as "Trachea AE". Proskynesis_LPC_Page_38_Coin_8_smallest.jpg
    Below is LPC page 40 coin type 9 : "Trachy" with "Proskynesis" (authors' word choice)
    This is also Sear 2334, according to Sear and Dumbarton Oaks. Sear has a photo of the coin.
    Unfortunately, most of the Emperor's body is difficult to see, in the Sear photo.
    This is also Dumbarton Oaks Volume 5 Part 2 Andronicus II coin types 563 through 566. See the Dumbarton Oaks photos above.
    Sear describes this coin type, as an "AE Trachy".
    Dumbarton Oaks describes this coin type as "Trachea AE".
    Proskynesis_LPC_Page_40_Coin_9_smallest.jpg
    One funny thing. I haven't been able to find the drawing, inside the LPC book, which matches the drawing, on the cover of the LPC book. Perhaps the drawing on the cover of the LPC book, is a variation of LPC page 34 coin type 1.
    So, to summarize, I haven't found any photos, of any Byzantine coins, other than Sear 2326 (your coin's type, I think), which show the same degree of Proskynesis, as the Emperor in your coin.
    I'll keep looking.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
  15. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Update : I found some examples of Sear 2332, the Byzantine bronze trachy coin, with the Emperor displaying what seems to be a similar degree of Proskynesis, as the Emperor on your coin, with Mary presenting the Emperor to Christ.

    However, none of these bronze examples that I have found so far, are as clear as your coin, because they are not as well struck and/or they are not in as good a condition.

    The best photos are at the Labarum web site. Note in the photos of the 3 coins (2 photos are of the same coin), how the Emperor's torso seems to be horizontal.
    https://coins.labarum.info/en/catalog/1563?cid=7072
    Sear 2332 seems to be very hard to find, because the following Google search
    "Sear 2332" andronicus
    yielded only the Labarum result.
    The following Google search
    "SB 2332" andronicus
    yielded only the Labarum result, and the following sold coin on Vcoins
    https://www.vcoins.com/fr/stores/ae...onicus_ii_12821328_trachy/649443/Default.aspx
    The Vcoins example shows the Emperor's torso to be horizontal, although the coin is not as clear as the Labarum coins.
    The following Google search
    2332 andronicus
    yielded a bunch of noise. And when I clicked on the "Images" option, I only found the Labarum result.
    I couldn't find Sear 2332 or Sear 2334 on Wildwinds.
    However, I found Sear 2326 (your coin's type, I think) on Wildwinds.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  16. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Another Update : I have found photos of 2 other Sear 2334 examples. However, the Emperor in Sear 2334 seems to have a lesser degree of Proskynesis, than the Emperor in Sear 2326 (your coin type, I think) and Sear 2332, because the Emperor's torso in Sear 2334 is at a 45 degree angle, rather than horizontal.

    Here are 2 examples of Sear 2334 at the Labarum web site :
    https://coins.labarum.info/en/catalog/1564?cid=7075

    Both Sear 2332 and Sear 2334, the bronze trachy coins, seem to be very hard to find.

    I wonder if the rare Bendall book PCPC has any photos of Sear 2332 or Sear 2334. I hope those coins weren't lost to the world, when Bendall's coin collection was stolen.

    So, according to my searches so far, Sear 2332, an Andronicus II bronze trachy, is the only Byzantine coin type, that I have found, in which the Emperor has a similar degree of Proskynesis, as the Emperor in Sear 2326 (your coin type, I think). But the Sear 2332 examples that I have found so far, are not as well struck as your coin and/or are not in as good a condition as your coin, which makes them less clear than your coin.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  17. Quant.Geek

    Quant.Geek Well-Known Member

    The OP coin is an outstanding example and one that is on my want list. I am just waiting for a good specimen that has a good amount of details which is somewhat difficult. Here are a few coins in my collection that illustrates proskynesis:

    Byzantine Empire: Andronicus II Palaeologus (1282-1295) Æ Trachy, Constantinople (Sear 2334; DOC V.563-66; LPC 40; PCPC 101)
    Obv: Bust of the Virgin, arms spread, within the walls of Constantinople with 6 groups of triple towers, MP ΘV by her head, sigla in lower fields A - X
    Rev: Christ standing on the right, facing three-quarters left, holding Book of Gospels, placing right hand on the head of Andronikos prostrate in proskynesis; in left field, +/AN/ΔPON/IKOC/ΔЄCΠΟ/ΤHCO/ΠAΛ or variation; in right, IC/XC

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Byzantine Empire: Andronicus II Palaeologus (1282-1328) Æ Trachy, Thessalonica (Sear 2359; DOC V.913-17; PCPC 263; LPC 204.1; Lianta 833)
    Obv: Half-length figure of St. Michael, beardless and nimbate; right hand holds sword; left hand holds shield
    Rev: ANΔ/PONI/KOC/ΔЄC/ΠΟ/Τ to left, IC/XC to right; Full-length figure of Christ, bearded and nimbate, on right, holding Gospel in left hand; places right hand on the head of the emperor crouching in proskynesis to left

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
  18. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Update 3 : I found an photo of a Sear 2334, in which the Emperor's torso seems to be horizontal. It is in the book "Late Byzantine Coins 1204 - 1453" by Eleni Lianta (2009). It is on page 225, and it is coin 647. The coin is double struck, the Emperor's legs are off of the flan, and the Emperor's hands are on a weak part of the coin and therefore not visible. But the Emperor's head and torso are clearly visible. However, your coin looks nicer.

    So it appears, that it is possible, for a Sear 2334 to have the same degree of Proskynesis, as Sear 2332 and Sear 2326 (your coin type, I think).
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  19. sand

    sand Well-Known Member

    Summary : For the following 3 Byzantine coin types, there seem to be examples, which have the highest degree of Proskynesis, in which the Emperor's torso is horizontal, and in which the Emperor has his knees on the ground.

    1. Sear 2326 : Andronicus II gold hyperpyron : Your coin seems to be one of these.
    2. Sear 2332 : Andronicus II bronze trachy
    3. Sear 2334 : Andronicus II bronze trachy : some of these don't have highest degree of Proskynesis

    However, your coin looks better, than any of the Sear 2332 or Sear 2334 coins, for which I have found photos. Decent examples of Sear 2332 and Sear 2334 seem to be very rare, especially Sear 2334 coins that have the highest degree of Proskynesis.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2021
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  20. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    I haven’t encountered the bronze types before! 2332 has 0 results on AcSearch and sear 2334 has 3 results. They appear to be quite rare indeed!
     
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  21. The Trachy Enjoyer

    The Trachy Enjoyer Well-Known Member

    Quite impressive trachys there! Both are very rare types. Is the upper most of the two types the Hyperpyron dies struck in AE?
     
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