Jesus Christ

The two Christian coins of analysis within this exhibit are the Gold Tremissis (1.48g) of Tiberius II Constantine and the Solidus of Heraclius. However, it is important to note that in all the Byzantine coins of this site, both Jesus Christ and Christianity are strongly depicted in unique ways.

The symbol of the cross is significant in antiquity and shows how highly looked upon Christianity was in the Greco-Roman world since Constantine. Constantine ruled from 306 to 337 CE and is most famously known as Constantine The Great, for he was the first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity. He played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313, which decreed tolerance for Christianity in the empire. He also called the First Council of Nicea in 325 CE, at which the Nicene Creed was professed by Christians.

The emperors who commissioned coins post-Constantine wanted to be seen as powerful and close to the gods by their people, so having their self-portrait featured with a cross potent was a common practice of the era. For example, the Gold Tremissis (1.48g) of Tiberius II Constantine was created by Tiberius II Constantine, who was the Eastern Roman Emperor from 574 to 582 CE. The obverse side of the coin features a self-portrait of Constantine with the entire reverse side being dedicated to the cross potent.

An even stronger example is the Solidus of Heraclius, which features two cross potents on the same coin. The obverse side of this coin features a self-portrait of Heraclius with the cross to his side. The reverse side of the coin, like the Gold Tremissis of Tiberius II Constantine, is entirely dedicated to the cross potent. This coin even features a Greco-Romanesque temple front which leads the viewer's eyes up the stairs to the base of the temple that has been replaced with the symbol of Christianity, the cross potent.