Gold Histamenon Nomisma of Basil II and Constantine VIII

Historical Context

Following the sudden demise of Romanus II in 963, dynastic legitimacy within the Byzantine Empire devolved upon his young sons, Basil II and Constantine VIII. Having received infant coronations as co-emperors (symbasileis) in 960 and 962 respectively, the youths required regent protectors. Senior executive authority was wielded successively by the soldier-emperors Nikephoros II Phokas (reigned 963–969) and John I Tzimiskes (reigned 969–976). Upon Tzimiskes's death in January 976, Basil II assumed personal governance as senior Augustus alongside his younger brother Constantine VIII.

Basil II's fifty-year reign transformed the administrative and military contours of the empire. After suppressing violent internal rebellions led by the aristocratic magnates Bardas Skleros and Bardas Phokas, Basil pursued rigorous agrarian legislation designed to curb the territorial encroachments of the landed nobility (dynatoi). His protracted military campaigns culminated in 1018 with the total conquest and annexation of the First Bulgarian Empire, securing his historical reputation. Throughout this tenure, Constantine VIII functioned as an inactive titular co-ruler, absorbed in imperial palace luxuries until Basil's death without heirs in December 1025 ushered in Constantine's sole rule.

In the monetary sphere, Basil II's administration addressed a commercial disruption initiated under Nikephoros II Phokas. Nikephoros had introduced the tetarteron nomisma, a lighter gold coin struck at approximately 22 carats (about 4.05 to 4.15 grams), to circulate alongside the traditional full-weight 24-carat solidus (about 4.40 to 4.48 grams), which became known as the histamenon (ἱστάμενον, "standard coin"). Because both coins initially shared identical diameters and designs, public transactions suffered from confusion and tariff disputes. Over the course of Basil's reign, the Constantinople mint systematically altered the physical fabric of the histamenon, expanding its flan from 21 mm to 26–27 mm and introducing distinctive concentric borders, while keeping the tetarteron compact, thicker, and smaller in diameter.

Obverse Iconographic Composition

The obverse of the mature broad-flan histamenon features a frontal, half-length bust of Christ Pantokrator ("Ruler of All"). The figure is rendered with a full, rounded beard and long hair parting centrally and descending behind the shoulders. Behind Christ's head is a cruciform halo (nimbus cruciger). In each of the two upper quadrants formed by the horizontal and vertical cross limbs sits a distinct upturned crescent - the definitive diagnostic signature separating Class VI gold nomismata from earlier issues.

Christ is dressed in an inner tunic (chiton) and a draped mantle (himation) wrapping across the left shoulder. His right hand is raised before the chest in the customary gesture of Byzantine benediction, forming the Christological cipher with fingers positioned inwards. In his left hand, Christ supports a lavish Book of the Gospels against his torso. The book cover is embellished with jewels and raised pearls, indicating precious cabochon ornamentation. Framing the entire holy portrait is an outer border consisting of three concentric dotted and linear rings, executed to fill the broader module.

Obverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The obverse inscription borders the sacred portraiture, running clockwise along the inner line of the triple border from the upper left field:

• Epigraphic Majuscule Text: + IҺS XIS RЄX RЄςNANTIҺM
• Alphabet / Script: Mixed Byzantine Latin majuscule, employing classic Greek uncial forms (notably Є, ς, and Һ).
• Language: Latin.
• Transliteration: + I[esu]s C[hristu]s Rex Regnantium
• English Translation: "Jesus Christ, King of those who reign"
• Placement: Marginal circular inscription beginning with an initial equal-armed cross at approximately the 10:00 position and terminating in the lower right quadrant.

Reverse Iconographic Composition

The reverse showcases dynastic solidarity through half-length facing busts of the two Macedonian brothers, encircled by a matching triple concentric border. On the left stands the senior Augustus, Basil II, depicted with a broad, mature beard and mustache. Basil wears an imperial crown surmounted by a cross and adorned with hanging side pendants (pendilia). He is vested in the ceremonial loros, the heavily jeweled consular stole adorned with geometric compartments filled with pearls and gems. From the upper left field, emerging from an arc of heaven above Basil's head, the Hand of God (manus Dei) extends downward in divine coronation.

To the right stands the junior co-emperor, Constantine VIII, represented beardless or with youthful stubble. He wears an imperial crown and the chlamys (state cloak), pinned at his right shoulder by a round, pearl-set fibula. Between them, the co-emperors jointly support a tall central cross featuring an elongated vertical shaft. The deliberate hierarchical distinction in facial hair, costume, and the direct touch of the manus Dei visually reinforces Basil II's senior rank while preserving imperial collegiate continuity.

Reverse Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The reverse inscription frames the imperial figures, running clockwise inside the triple concentric border:

• Epigraphic Majuscule Text: + ЬASIL Є COҺSτAҺτIҺ R
• Alphabet / Script: Mixed Byzantine Greek-Latin majuscule, featuring lunate forms, uncial epsilons (Є), uncial etas/ns (Һ), and minuscule cursive tau (τ).
• Language: Medieval Greek.
• Transliteration: + Basil[ios] e[kai] Constanti[nos] R[omaion]
• English Translation: "Basil and Constantine, [Emperors] of the Romans"
• Placement: Circular marginal inscription commencing at the lower left edge (approx. 7:00), arcing over the imperial diadems, and terminating at the lower right edge (approx. 5:00).

Epigraphically, the character Є functions as an abbreviation for the coordinating conjunction καὶ ("and"), while R abbreviates the title Ῥωμαίων ("of the Romans"), standard shorthand for Basileis Romaion.

Typology and Documented Variants

Under the classification system established by Philip Grierson in the Dumbarton Oaks Catalogue, the gold histamena of Basil II and Constantine VIII are organized into six distinct chronological classes that illustrate the gradual enlargement of the coin flan:

• Class I (DOC 1 / Sear 1795; c. 976–977): Narrow module (diameter ~20–21 mm), single border; Christ with plain nimbus limbs; emperors hold a patriarchal cross; no manus Dei.
• Class II (DOC 2 / Sear 1796; c. 977–989): Diameter ~21–22 mm; rosettes or pellets ornament the nimbus cross; patriarchal cross on shaft with central pellet.
• Class III (DOC 3 / Sear 1797; c. 989–1001): Diameter ~22–23 mm; rosette of pellets in halo quadrants; cross shaft decorated with crosslets or saltires.
• Class IV (DOC 4 / Sear 1798; c. 1001–1005): Flan expands to ~23–24 mm; introduction of the double dotted border.
• Class V (DOC 5 / Sear 1799; c. 1005): Transitional module (~24 mm); appearance of double or triple dotted borders.
• Class VI (DOC 6 / Sear 1800; c. 1005–1025): Fully developed broad flan (24–27 mm), thin spread fabric, prominent triple concentric border on both sides. Obverse displays upturned crescents in the upper two halo quadrants. Reverse shows Basil II crowned by the manus Dei, holding a long cross with Constantine VIII.

Class VI contains two documented subtypes:

• DOC 6a: The long cross held between the co-emperors has an unadorned, plain vertical shaft.
• DOC 6b: The vertical cross shaft features a distinct raised pellet or globule above the rulers' hands.

Institutional specimen data from the Cleveland Museum of Art (accession no. 1968.62) records a diameter of 2.6 cm (26 mm) and a mass of 4.4 g (0.16 oz.). These metrics, alongside the triple border and halo crescents, firmly position the piece within Class VI / Sear 1800. In accordance with rigorous cataloguing practice, assignment to specific subtype DOC 6a or 6b is withheld pending high-magnification surface inspection of the cross shaft.

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

Numismatic scholarship surrounding the gold issues of Basil II has focused on three principal debates:

1. The Origin of the Dual Gold Standard: The 12th-century chronicler Joannes Zonaras claimed that Nikephoros II Phokas created the light tetarteron to practice fiscal extortion, collecting taxes in full-weight histamena while disbursing imperial payments in lighter coin. Michael F. Hendy disputed this moralizing account, suggesting the light weight standard (c. 4.10–4.25 g) was designed to match the gold dinar circulating in newly annexed Syrian territories. Philip Grierson proposed an intermediate view, arguing the tetarteron originated as a temporary debasement scheme that failed due to public rejection, forcing the state to institutionalize two concurrent denominations. The deliberate broadening and thinning of the histamenon under Basil II served to end commercial confusion by rendering the full-weight coin instantly distinguishable by sight and touch.

2. Obverse and Reverse Primacy: Early twentieth-century numismatists, including Warwick Wroth in the British Museum catalogues, classified the imperial portrait side as the obverse. Modern numismatic consensus, crystallized by Grierson, designates the bust of Christ Pantokrator as the true obverse. This hierarchy reflects Byzantine imperial ideology, which proclaimed Christ (Rex Regnantium) as the supreme heavenly authority, while the co-emperors acted merely as His earthly representatives.

3. Function of the Nimbus Crescents: While earlier iconographers hypothesized that the upturned crescents inside the cross nimbus carried astronomical or theological symbolism (representing celestial dominance alongside the sun), contemporary numismatic analysis views them primarily as internal mint-control marks. These small elements distinguished specific workshops (officinae), bullion recoinage cycles, or minting administrative periods within the imperial mint of Constantinople.

References

1. Nomisma with Basil II Bulgarotonos and His Brother Constantine VIII. Cleveland Museum of Art, Accession no. 1968.62, Object Details and Measurements
2. Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Vol. 3, Part 2: Basil I to Nicephorus III, 867–1081. pp. 599–634 (Basil II & Constantine VIII), pp. 605–629 (Histamena Classes I–VI), pp. 627–629 (Class VI, DOC 6a–6b)
3. Byzantine Coins and Their Values (2nd ed.). Entry Sear SBCV 1800
4. Triton XVIII Catalog, Lot 1478. p. 270, Lot 1478 (AV Histamenon Nomisma, Basil II & Constantine VIII, Class VI)