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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ValiantKnight, post: 2881323, member: 44210&quot;]Picked this one off of our very own JAZ Numismatics. Wanted a Justinian follis with a decent bust and a face not totally worn down without shelling out a couple hundred bucks, and this one fit the bill.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Justinian</u>, Byzantine Empire</b></p><p>AE follis</p><p><b>Obv</b>: D N IVSTINI-ANVS P P AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and shield, cross to right</p><p><b>Rev</b>: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year XX (20) to right and star,&nbsp; Γ below</p><p><b>Date</b>: 546 AD</p><p><b>Mint</b>: Theopolis (Antioch)</p><p><b>Mintmark</b>: 9HЧΠ (• above Π)</p><p><b>Ref</b>: SB 220</p><p>(attribution info from Wildwinds/Helevtica)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690684[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>(history shamelessly copied from a prior thread of mine, with a few minor edits and additions)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690686[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Justinian I (birth name: <i>Petrus Sabbatius)</i> was emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire (a.k.a the Byzantine Empire) from 527 to 565 AD. His uncle was Justin, a guard with the Excubitors (the imperial guard) who would soon become emperor after Anastasius&#039; death. Justin adopted Petrus Sabbatius (and thus giving Petrus his new name Justinian, indicating that he is Justin&#039;s adopted son) and brought him to live in Constantinople. There Justinian also served with the Excubitors for some time, and became one of Justin&#039;s close associates when Justin became Roman Emperor in 518.</p><p><br /></p><p>Over the next decade, Justinian quickly grew in importance, becoming consul and the overall commander of the army in the east. With his uncle&#039;s death in 527, Justinian became Roman Emperor. As emperor, Justinian actively participated in the running of his empire, and became known as the &quot;emperor who never sleeps&quot;. One of his lasting achievements was the compilation of all Roman law up to that point: the Codex Justinianus.</p><p><br /></p><p>He was nearly deposed and killed however, when in 532, supporters of the two popular chariot teams in Constantinople joined together and demanded the removal of several unpopular officials. They then turned their efforts to deposing Justinian himself. The Nika Riots were the worst instance of civil disobedience in Constantinople&#039;s history, and Justinian was ready to flee the capital when he was convinced to stay and put down the rioters by his wife, the courtesan-turned-empress Theodora. Justinian then took charge and order his generals Belisarius and Mundus (both would later gain fame fighting in the Gothic War) to put down the riots with force of arms. The Church of the Holy Wisdom did not escape the devastation inflicted by the riots, and would later be rebuilt on an even grander scale on Justinian&#039;s orders, and would become world famous as the Hagia Sofia.</p><p><br /></p><p>An important long-term goal of Justinian was to recover for the Roman Empire the western territories that were lost to the barbarians in the 5th century (<i>renovatio imperii</i>: &quot;restoration of the empire&quot;). The jewel in this crown was the city of Rome, by now under the control of King Theodoric and his Ostrogoths. After concluding peace with the Persians, Justinian launched an invasion against the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa (centered at Carthage). After achieving victory in that war, Justinian sent his armies to also invade Ostrogoth-held Italy and Visigoth-held Hispania (with the latter, Justinian &quot;intervened&quot; in a dynastic dispute among the Visigoths). Italy was fully reconquered after a long and very difficult war, and southern Hispania (by then known as <i>Spania</i>) ended up back in imperial control. Ultimately these expensive wars of reconquest produced fleeting results; most of the newly won territories would be lost over the next two centuries, with most of Italy falling to the Lombards, North Africa conquered by the Muslims, and southern Hispania taken back by the Visigoths.</p><p><br /></p><p>Justinian died in 565 AD, and was succeeded by his niece&#039;s husband, Justin II.</p><p><br /></p><p><u>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </u></p><p><br /></p><p>Click the images to enlarge (some do not enlarge further, though)</p><p><br /></p><p>Before/after Justinian&#039;s conquests:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690685[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Vandalic War, 533-534 AD</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690690[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>First phase of the Gothic War, 535-540 AD (the conflict ran until 554 AD):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690687[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Images of Byzantine soldiers from around the time of Justinian:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690691[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690694[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>(this one is a guardsman I believe)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690693[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]690692[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Please feel free to post whatever is relevant!</b>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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