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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Only a Poor Old Man, post: 5125030, member: 111037&quot;]New Byzantine follis arrived today, and it is a fairly nice example from the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Byzantium for over 200 years between 867 and 1081. It is regarded as one of the finer periods in the history of the empire as there was territorial and financial growth, accompanied by a cultural renaissance. This follis is from about the middle of that period, and specifically the joint reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (the purple-born) and his mother Zoe Karvounopsina (the coal-black eyed). It is not my first coin from Constantine VII as I also have a solidus from his joint reign with Romanos Lekapenos.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1202545[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The reverse legend translates as: Constantine and Zoe kings of the Romans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Joint reigns was quite a common thing in Byzantium, but Constantine VII kinda overdid it as he shared the throne with 5 other people in total. The first one was his mother Zoe, who was actually the 4th wife of Leo VI, something that wasn&#039;t allowed in the Orthodox tradition. For this reason the nickname &#039;Porphyrogenitos&#039; was a sponsored one to remind the people that he was born in the purple imperial room, thus giving him an air of legitimacy. When Leo died, his younger brother Alexander initially&nbsp; took over and Zoe ended up in a monastery. She didn&#039;t stay there long, as bad choices especially with the campaign against Bulgaria brought her back in favor and she ended up regent to Constantine. For about 5 years she run the show,&nbsp; but as things with the Bulgarians didn&#039;t improve, she was eventually overthrown by Romanos Lekapenos who become co-emperor to Constantine. She returned to the monastery and spent the rest of her life there. </p><p><br /></p><p>Show me your coins from the Macedonian dynasty, or any coins you have with mothers and sons on them![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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