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Message:: [QUOTE="BenSi, post: 24634234, member: 95174"]The city of Constantinople existed from its inauguration until its final fall a total of 1,123 years and 18 days. This thread pertains to its final years of the coins of the empire, trying to understand the naming of the later denominations and clarifying the confusion of the multiple names for the same coinage. This is important to the collector because the study of late Byzantine coinage is so new (it Became a serious focus in the 1960s), a real hindrance in its study is keeping the names of the denomination’s straight. As studies progress so do the changes in terminology.  A great example of this is the Assarion. [ATTACH=full]1566976[/ATTACH] Andronicus II and Michael IX Assarion ( 1294-1320 ) Obv-Half length figure St. Michael Rev- Christ blessing kneeling Andronicus II and Michael IX. 1.6gm 22.13mm SBCV-2345 Lianta 793 Assarion is an interesting denomination, thinner, lighter and bigger than its predecessor the tetarteron (Post reform Alexius Comnenus 1092AD)) , the assarion was a return to Roman named coinage, representing the smallest, it first appears in Andronicus II reign, Introduced around 1294 and ceased to be minted in the 1350’s. Roughly 30 different types of coins for its 60-year mintage. [ATTACH=full]1566977[/ATTACH]Andronicus II Assarion SB-2448 1.81gm 20mm OBV- 4 B’s in a Cross pattee Rev-Emperors holding jointly a labarum. The first modern literary usage of the Byzantine term assarion  in a book of numismatics, seems to be done by Phillip Grierson in 1982, in his catalog “Byzantine coins”. However, he does not cite the contemporary document that used that name, but he does give an interesting explanation on where the name comes from. The New Testament. Biblical reference Matt 10:29 “Are not two Sparrows sold for an Assarion?” So before his catalog in 1982, the same coin (Assarion) was called a tetarteron. In earlier catalogs, authors such as Simon Bendall and David Metcalf were using the title tetarteron. [ATTACH=full]1566978[/ATTACH]Andronicus III ( 1328-1341) Assarion 1.48gm SBCV-2481 LIA 831 OBV Cross Fleury REV Andronicus holding scepte. Provenance Berk/England Sale of Dec 1989 [ATTACH=full]1566980[/ATTACH] Andronicus II and Michael IX 1282-1320) Assarion  21.92mm 1.55gm SBCV-2451 LIA OBV-Andronicus and Michael standing holding Patriarchal Cross between them REV-Patriarchal Cross  B-E bin fields. In trying to understand the time period, we have to compile as much information as possible from the people who studied the coins before us. The flat copper coins of the late Byzantine Empire are a perfect example of how difficult this can be. In the earliest coin catalogs and articles, the coins are called just that, small flat copper coinage, that makes some sense especially since the rest of the copper coinage were concaved coins that had been introduced en masse in 1092. This changes with Michael Hendy’s work in 1969 DOC 12. In pre 1969 articles, the 12th century tetarteron was called a follis/flat copper coinage, literature written after that, tetarteron was found to be the contemporary name. This was from the writings of a crusader who was given some of these new coins. Since then, several other references have appeared in contemporary writings. To add to the confusion this flat coins coin’s name existed in all metals, pre-Alexius coin reform of 1092 it was a gold coin, then a silver coin. After the coin reform of 1092 it existed in three different metals, lead, billion and copper. This adds to the confusion when studying the denomination,  However the problem continues when looking at the even later coinage, the tetartera that lead to the Assaria. The difference is obvious when looking at a 12th century tetarteron but not as much when looking at imagery of a late tetarteron, it not as obvious. Both had the similarities of being flat coinage but in hand feel different. The tetarteron is thick, mostly smaller in size, the assarion is thin and feels light. [ATTACH=full]1566981[/ATTACH] Andronicus III (1328-1341) Assarion SB-2478 LIA?  OBV Bust of St George REV Half length figure of Andronicus III ( Joint rule in Sear notes?) One thing Grierson mentions in his Byzantine coins book is that the issues of the assarion were almost too numerous to count (Not by image but by legends), regional dates began to reappear on this denomination.  The coin was continued to be minted into the mid 14th century, then it was replaced by two other copper flat coins, tornesi (Issued under same name as AE and Billion. But two different denominations) and follari, both of these coins are considerably different much smaller than the assarion, By the way, the names of these coins are Latin, we have no idea what they were known by their minters. The reason we know the Latin names is merchants had compiled surviving lists that contained the rate of exchange between denominations. Eastern Roman literature on the subject of the small denominations is sparce. There is also a questionable term again appearing in the discussion on different terms being used for coinage. The stamenon seems to be a term for concaved coinage. In DOC V Grierson seems to use the term interchangeable between trachy and stamenon. ( In Bendells rare book on Paleogan coins in 1985 he says the term was used to both flat and concaved copper coinage.) In Lianta she makes an interesting table but it does not seem to be universally accepted. Here is a newer listing in DOC website contradicting her. A 12th century trachy listed as a stamenon <a href="https://www.doaks.org/resources/coins/catalogue/BZC.2010.072/view" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.doaks.org/resources/coins/catalogue/BZC.2010.072/view" rel="nofollow">Manuel I Komnenos, Billon, Stamenon, Constantinople, circa 1160-1164? — Dumbarton Oaks (doaks.org)</a> [ATTACH=full]1566982[/ATTACH] After sourcing through several coin books of the period I finally found out where the names Stamenon and Assarion came from. The information is in Michael Hendys The Byzantine Monetary economy  300-1450 not a coin book but a book on Byzantine financial history. The other books I checked ( DOC V, Bendall, Lianta and Grierson) used the names but not uniformly, and none of them mentioned the source of the names. Hendy included the information in the book. Stamenon  ( Stamina) was a nickname for a trachy( Trachea) since the time of Manuel Comnenus ( 1143-1180). It was a vulgar term but it seemed to become a popular term with the Latins and not the Greeks. Discussed in Hendy pg 514 Assarion ( Assaria) is mentioned in the works of Byzantine mathematician but it is not clear if that was the usage name, it does appear in several documents. Hendy was not convinced that was the common name for the coin BUT he felt it acceptable to use until we know more. “We know more” is the key idea here, It is a reason collectors focus on this field, the need for new knowledge never-ending. This phrase is also a hindrance to the new collector, trying to understand and participate in this interesting time period of coinage without the basic understanding of the denominations and the conflict of the various catalogs in terminology. The terminology of each of these catalogs is all based on the time period it was written and who it was written by. My conclusion regarding the terminology of the coinage of the restored empire, is that it exists from the Latin point of view, without evidence from the people who used the coinage and not just from the traders who delt with them, leaves us with an empire that lost its identity after the 1204 fall to the Latins. Even after the empire was restored it was unable to remove the mark the west had left. If you are interested more information about the time period the following books are available Dumbarton Oakes Catalog Volume V by Grierson ( Free online) <a href="https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton" rel="nofollow">https://www.doaks.org/research/publications/books/catalogue-of-the-byzantine-coins-in-the-dumbarton</a>   Late Byzantine Coins  1204-1453 by Eleni Lianta David Sear Byzantine Coins and their values. I wrote an earlier post on the tetarteron. Its avaiable here. <a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/disecting-a-denomiation-the-12th-century-byzantine-tetarteron.360937/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/disecting-a-denomiation-the-12th-century-byzantine-tetarteron.360937/">Disecting a Denomiation the 12th century Byzantine tetarteron | Coin Talk</a> Post your Byzantine Assaria if you got them.[/QUOTE]

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