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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Aetius, post: 5301691, member: 113220&quot;]Theodosius II AV Solidus. Constantinople, AD 430-440. D N THEODOSIVS P F AVG, pearl-diademed, helmeted and cuirassed bust facing slightly to right, holding spear and shield with horseman motif / VOT XXX MVLT XXXX A, Constantinopolis enthroned left, holding globus cruciger and sceptre, resting foot on prow; round shield behind throne; star in right field, CONOB in exergue. RIC X 257; Depeyrot 81/1. 4.38g, 21mm, 6h.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1223472[/ATTACH]</p><p>Recent purchase from Roma and could be the start of a Solidus collection. I always wanted this coin, probably because Theodosius II reigned over such an eventful period of history. He is probably best known for the Theodosian walls and the vast quantities of gold he paid Attila.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1223473[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>The <b>Theodosian Walls</b> are the fortifications of <b>Constantinople</b>, capital of the <b>Byzantine Empire</b>, which were first built during the reign of Theodosius II (408-450 CE). Sometimes known as the Theodosian Long Walls, they built upon and extended earlier fortifications so that the <b>city</b> became impregnable to enemy sieges for 800 years. The fortifications were the largest and strongest ever built in either the ancient or medieval worlds. Resisting attacks and earthquakes over the centuries, the walls were particularly tested by Bulgar and Arab forces who sometimes laid siege to the city for years at a time. Sections of the walls can still be seen today in modern Istanbul and are the city’s most impressive surviving monuments from Late Antiquity.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1223474[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1223475[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><i>The Eastern Empire was plagued by raids by the Huns. Early in Theodosius II&#039;s reign Romans used internal Hun discord to overcome Uldins&#039;s invasion of the Balkans. The Romans strengthened their fortifications and in 424 agreed to pay 350 pounds of gold to encourage the Huns to remain at peace with the Romans. In 433 with the rise of Attila and Bleda to unify the Huns, the payment was doubled to 700 pounds.</i></p><p><i>[ATTACH=full]1223476[/ATTACH]</i></p><p><i>When Roman Africa fell to the Vandals in 439, both Eastern and Western Emperors sent forces to Sicily, intending to launch an attack on the Vandals at Carthage, but this project failed. Seeing the Imperial borders without significant forces, the Huns and Persia both attacked and the expeditionary force had to be recalled. During 443 two Roman armies were defeated and destroyed by the Huns.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>Constantinople was under the grave threat of the Huns, as its walls had been ruined during an earthquake in January 447 and its population suffered from the ensuing plague. However, the walls were repaired in just two months by mobilizing the city&#039;s manpower, with the help of the Circus factions. These hasty repairs, combined with the urgent transfer of a body of Isaurian soldiers into the city, and the heavy losses incurred by the Huns&#039; army in the Battle of Utus, forced Attila to abandon any thought of besieging the capital.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>Instead, Attila marched south and laid waste the now-defenseless Balkan provinces. Peace was only restored when a treaty was signed a year later in 448. By this treaty, the Eastern Emperor Theodosius II agreed to pay Attila a tribute of 6,000 lbs of gold up front and 2,100 lbs annually. </i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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