Zeno AV Solidi Chronology - Ancients.info - The Online Resource for Ancient Coins & Antiquities

BeastCoins · Nov 5, 2009, 08:42 AM

Dear forum friends,

As many know, Late Roman gold (o.k. Late Roman in general, to be honest) has fascinated me for years. One area I find extremely difficult to understand the chronology and cataloguing is the development of Zeno's second reign eastern mint solidi (August 476-April 11, 491). Here is what RIC X catalogs:

Constantinople Mint, First Issue, Sole Reign:

D N ZENO P_ERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG S
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 905 (R5)
Unique - example cited is from the Hamburg, Kunsthalle collection.

Constantinople Mint, Second Issue, Joint Reign with Leo Caesar:

D N ZENO ET L_EO NOV CAES
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae B, Gamma, E, S and Z)
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 906 (R3)

Constantinople Mint, Third Issue, Sole Reign again:

D N ZENO-PERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae A through I and blank)
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 910 (C)

RIC 911 and 912 are the same as 910 with the exception of 911 having no frontal jewel on the diadem and 912 having a cross on the helmet or over the bust.

Constantinople Mint, Fourth Issue:

D N ZENO-PERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGT (Officinae A through I)
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 927 (R)

RIC 928 is the same, except for no frontal jewel on the diadem.

Constantinople Mint, Fifth Issue:

D N ZENO-PERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae A through I and blank)
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 929 (C)

RIC 930 is the same, except for no frontal jewel on the diadem.

Thessalonica Mint:

D N ZENO-PERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
CONOB in exergue
RIC X, 939-942

RIC 939 with 8-pointed star in left and right fields
RIC 940 with 8-pointed star in right field
RIC 941 with 6-pointed star in left and right fields
RIC 942 with 6-pointed star in right field

The western mints are different as they have mint marks in the fields or COMOB in the exergue and therefore should not be confused with RIC 910 or 929.

Since 905 has a unique obverse legend break, 906 clearly has a joint reign legend, 912 is unique with a cross on the helmet, 927 has a T in the reverse legend and the Thessalonica issues are lacking an officina mark and have varying star designs and placements, the remaining ambiguity leaves:

RIC 910 and 911
RIC 929 and 930
RIC 940
RIC 941

Stylistically, these coins are literally all over the board. Here is an example which I had bought catalogued as 910 and resold as such.

Looking at it now, I need to fix my site as it is a 911 with no frontal jewel on diadem. Point being, it has a style typically found on Zeno solidi - relatively consistent lettering engraving, fine and moderately compact style, cross-bar on cross engraved in X pattern. Now look at this next example from my collection:

Zeno, AV Solidus, 476-491, Second Reign, Constantinople (or Salona?), Officina 1
D N ZENO-PEPR AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG A
Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
20mm x 21mm, 4.48g
RIC X, -- (cf. RIC X, 910 for type with regular obverse legend)
Ex Byzantium Coins, VCoins, December 2006

Note: This is an extremely interesting coin. Stylistically, it certainly does fit with the issues of Constantinople during Zeno's second reign, however, the obverse legend with PEPR (Z4 legend in RIC) instead of the usual PERP (Z1) is only attested in RIC on the following solidi, all from the Milan mint under Julius Nepos: RIC X, 3227, 3234 and 3238. None of the examples plated in RIC under Julius Nepos from Milan are even remotely similar in style to this example, safely ruling out that possibility. RIC does list the Z4 legend for issues minted by Zeno from the Milan, Ravenna and Rome mints under his own name, but does not cite any examples using the legend in the listings. Another unusual attribute to observe is the shape of the top of Victory's wing - it is usually found with a flat or decending angle at the upper-base, then cresting to a point. On this specimen, the top of the wing is very rounded and the entire wing, along with the rest of the reverse is in the finest style. The crossbar on the cross is parallel engraved.

Some notes from Marc Poncin on January 18, 2007 - "Looking at the Zeno solidus, which is unusual as you have stated with those legends for Constantinople, I would especially be interested to see G. Lacam (end of Imperial Roman gold coinage) for a similar reference to your coin. When I look at the coin, it has a Dalmatian feel to it and could have been minted at Salona which became the headquarters of Julius Nepos, during his second reign, before his assassination there by Glycerius and also based there as bishop of Salona. As Julius Nepos was officially supported by the eastern emperor Zeno, it is more then reasonable Zeno would have had an engraver sent to Julius Nepos to mint coins for himself and in the name of Zeno, as Dalmatia was a vital buffer and military zone between east and west of the empire and vital and important coinage was needed to pay for the garrisons stationed there. Constantinople was too far away to assure a reliable source of income in a very volatile region at that period. The style is very different to the often crude second reign solidi of Julius Nepos but they are some rare and lovely executed second reign style solidi which points the way that an engraver from Constantinople or from the west was engaged by Nepos to strike well executed and stylistic coins which might explain your coin."

And now, let's look at an example catalogued as RIC 929 I just acquired for my collection:

Zeno, AV Solidus, 476-491, Second Reign, Constantinople, Officina 6
D N ZENO-PERP AVG
Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand
VICTORI_A AVGGG S (retrograde S)
Victory standing facing, head left, long jeweled cross in right hand
* in right field
CONOB in exergue
19mm x 21mm, 4.47g
RIC X, 929

The retrograde S is attested in RIC for 929, but not 910. However, this is the most elegant reverse style I've seen on a Zeno solidus. The obverse portrait is engraved with a more dramtically pointed chin, but that is known on other examples. The obverse legend engraving is consistent with Constantinople, but the reverse legend is oddly grandiose. The I is crowded by the cross and very disproportionate to the rest of the legend. The crossbar on the cross is engraved with curved lines instead of parallel or X pattern - something which stands out against the plated examples in RIC from all mints. There are two pellets above the cross, which can be found on some other examples. Victory's wing is engraved with the utmost of care, the feathers layering and blending in the most believable manner.

So, is this an example of a Constantinople mint die? Is it perhaps an unknown mint? Or possibly Vandalic or Ostrogothic?

Is there some research which has been published, showing the progression of Zeno's portraiture or lettering style to suggest in which emission coins fall?

Thanks for the time allowing me to ramble a bit and get my thoughts "down on paper".

--Zach Beasley

Flavus · Nov 5, 2009, 08:38 PM

Hello Zach,
Just googled up two keywords from your questions "Zeno's portraiture" and found that the ONLY result is your post here. I see no sites devoted to Zeno's coinage, no academic paper.
So I guess chances are you are on your own on your interesting quest.
I personally think it would be a great thesis.
Best regards,
Flav
P.S. Zeno's nose looks so weird on all the coins as if it was erased like in damnatio memoriae or something like that. Or is it just a visual effect?

BeastCoins · Nov 8, 2009, 07:48 AM

Hello Flav,

The nose is the highest point on this portrait type and quickly shows wear or flatness. In some cases, such as the last example above, it may not have even been struck properly and the face in general appears to have been malformed in the striking process. I will know better when I have the coin in hand.

--Beast

Flavus · Nov 8, 2009, 08:06 PM

It's just the contrast that struck me - almost uncirculated quality of the coins and no noses! The quality is so superb - down to the finest detail, that the rubbed off noses (especially on the first one) stand out like a sore thumb.
The last one actually looks kind of creepy, as if the skin is melting off his face, which by the way indeed looks like an odd malformation in striking process.
I did look up the information about Zeno's rule, and it sounds like that he was not a popular emperor - many revolts during his reign, several times he was ousted from Constantinople; there is even a legend that when he was buried people heard the moaning coming from his grave for three days but nobody came to rescue him - that's how he was hated!
I checked the Wildwinds and saw that actually many of his coins have problems with the nose. And it seems to me that (oddly enough) some coins on which he still has his nose intact were struck not in the East but in the West by Odoacer who had no personal hostility to Zeno.
Zach, look at the first coin again. How come that one high point - the nose - is so heavily rubbed off and at the same time the other high points of the same coin like the protruding jewells of the crown, which are so tiny at that by the way, are not even touched?
Something is not right here.

BeastCoins · Nov 14, 2009, 09:37 AM

Flavius,

It's possible it's a chronic problem on Zeno solidi whereas the nose is rarely struck-up fully. I'll have to look into it.

--Zach

Nov 5, 2009, 08:42 AM	#1
BeastCoins Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,420	Zeno AV Solidi Chronology Dear forum friends, As many know, Late Roman gold (o.k. Late Roman in general, to be honest) has fascinated me for years. One area I find extremely difficult to understand the chronology and cataloguing is the development of Zeno's second reign eastern mint solidi (August 476-April 11, 491). Here is what RIC X catalogs: Constantinople Mint, First Issue, Sole Reign: D N ZENO P_ERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG S Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue RIC X, 905 (R5) Unique - example cited is from the Hamburg, Kunsthalle collection. Constantinople Mint, Second Issue, Joint Reign with Leo Caesar: D N ZENO ET L_EO NOV CAES Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae B, Gamma, E, S and Z) Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue RIC X, 906 (R3) Constantinople Mint, Third Issue, Sole Reign again: D N ZENO-PERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae A through I and blank) Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue RIC X, 910 (C) RIC 911 and 912 are the same as 910 with the exception of 911 having no frontal jewel on the diadem and 912 having a cross on the helmet or over the bust. Constantinople Mint, Fourth Issue: D N ZENO-PERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGT (Officinae A through I) Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue RIC X, 927 (R) RIC 928 is the same, except for no frontal jewel on the diadem. Constantinople Mint, Fifth Issue: D N ZENO-PERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG (Officinae A through I and blank) Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue RIC X, 929 (C) RIC 930 is the same, except for no frontal jewel on the diadem. Thessalonica Mint: D N ZENO-PERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand CONOB in exergue RIC X, 939-942 RIC 939 with 8-pointed star in left and right fields RIC 940 with 8-pointed star in right field RIC 941 with 6-pointed star in left and right fields RIC 942 with 6-pointed star in right field The western mints are different as they have mint marks in the fields or COMOB in the exergue and therefore should not be confused with RIC 910 or 929. Since 905 has a unique obverse legend break, 906 clearly has a joint reign legend, 912 is unique with a cross on the helmet, 927 has a T in the reverse legend and the Thessalonica issues are lacking an officina mark and have varying star designs and placements, the remaining ambiguity leaves: RIC 910 and 911 RIC 929 and 930 RIC 940 RIC 941 Stylistically, these coins are literally all over the board. Here is an example which I had bought catalogued as 910 and resold as such. Looking at it now, I need to fix my site as it is a 911 with no frontal jewel on diadem. Point being, it has a style typically found on Zeno solidi - relatively consistent lettering engraving, fine and moderately compact style, cross-bar on cross engraved in X pattern. Now look at this next example from my collection: Zeno, AV Solidus, 476-491, Second Reign, Constantinople (or Salona?), Officina 1 D N ZENO-PEPR AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over right shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG A Victory standing left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue 20mm x 21mm, 4.48g RIC X, -- (cf. RIC X, 910 for type with regular obverse legend) Ex Byzantium Coins, VCoins, December 2006 Note: This is an extremely interesting coin. Stylistically, it certainly does fit with the issues of Constantinople during Zeno's second reign, however, the obverse legend with PEPR (Z4 legend in RIC) instead of the usual PERP (Z1) is only attested in RIC on the following solidi, all from the Milan mint under Julius Nepos: RIC X, 3227, 3234 and 3238. None of the examples plated in RIC under Julius Nepos from Milan are even remotely similar in style to this example, safely ruling out that possibility. RIC does list the Z4 legend for issues minted by Zeno from the Milan, Ravenna and Rome mints under his own name, but does not cite any examples using the legend in the listings. Another unusual attribute to observe is the shape of the top of Victory's wing - it is usually found with a flat or decending angle at the upper-base, then cresting to a point. On this specimen, the top of the wing is very rounded and the entire wing, along with the rest of the reverse is in the finest style. The crossbar on the cross is parallel engraved. Some notes from Marc Poncin on January 18, 2007 - "Looking at the Zeno solidus, which is unusual as you have stated with those legends for Constantinople, I would especially be interested to see G. Lacam (end of Imperial Roman gold coinage) for a similar reference to your coin. When I look at the coin, it has a Dalmatian feel to it and could have been minted at Salona which became the headquarters of Julius Nepos, during his second reign, before his assassination there by Glycerius and also based there as bishop of Salona. As Julius Nepos was officially supported by the eastern emperor Zeno, it is more then reasonable Zeno would have had an engraver sent to Julius Nepos to mint coins for himself and in the name of Zeno, as Dalmatia was a vital buffer and military zone between east and west of the empire and vital and important coinage was needed to pay for the garrisons stationed there. Constantinople was too far away to assure a reliable source of income in a very volatile region at that period. The style is very different to the often crude second reign solidi of Julius Nepos but they are some rare and lovely executed second reign style solidi which points the way that an engraver from Constantinople or from the west was engaged by Nepos to strike well executed and stylistic coins which might explain your coin." And now, let's look at an example catalogued as RIC 929 I just acquired for my collection: Zeno, AV Solidus, 476-491, Second Reign, Constantinople, Officina 6 D N ZENO-PERP AVG Pearl-diademed, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, spear in right hand over shoulder, shield decorated with horseman riding down enemy in left hand VICTORI_A AVGGG S (retrograde S) Victory standing facing, head left, long jeweled cross in right hand * in right field CONOB in exergue 19mm x 21mm, 4.47g RIC X, 929 The retrograde S is attested in RIC for 929, but not 910. However, this is the most elegant reverse style I've seen on a Zeno solidus. The obverse portrait is engraved with a more dramtically pointed chin, but that is known on other examples. The obverse legend engraving is consistent with Constantinople, but the reverse legend is oddly grandiose. The I is crowded by the cross and very disproportionate to the rest of the legend. The crossbar on the cross is engraved with curved lines instead of parallel or X pattern - something which stands out against the plated examples in RIC from all mints. There are two pellets above the cross, which can be found on some other examples. Victory's wing is engraved with the utmost of care, the feathers layering and blending in the most believable manner. So, is this an example of a Constantinople mint die? Is it perhaps an unknown mint? Or possibly Vandalic or Ostrogothic? Is there some research which has been published, showing the progression of Zeno's portraiture or lettering style to suggest in which emission coins fall? Thanks for the time allowing me to ramble a bit and get my thoughts "down on paper". --Zach Beasley __________________ VCoins Ancients Store: http://www.vcoins.com/beastcoins VCoins US/Banknotes Store: http://www.vcoins.com/us/beastcoins VCoins World Store: http://www.vcoins.com/world/beastcoins Beast Coins Research Site: http://www.beastcoins.com

Nov 8, 2009, 07:48 AM	#3
BeastCoins Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,420	Hello Flav, The nose is the highest point on this portrait type and quickly shows wear or flatness. In some cases, such as the last example above, it may not have even been struck properly and the face in general appears to have been malformed in the striking process. I will know better when I have the coin in hand. --Beast __________________ VCoins Ancients Store: http://www.vcoins.com/beastcoins VCoins US/Banknotes Store: http://www.vcoins.com/us/beastcoins VCoins World Store: http://www.vcoins.com/world/beastcoins Beast Coins Research Site: http://www.beastcoins.com

Nov 14, 2009, 09:37 AM	#5
BeastCoins Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,420	Flavius, It's possible it's a chronic problem on Zeno solidi whereas the nose is rarely struck-up fully. I'll have to look into it. --Zach __________________ VCoins Ancients Store: http://www.vcoins.com/beastcoins VCoins US/Banknotes Store: http://www.vcoins.com/us/beastcoins VCoins World Store: http://www.vcoins.com/world/beastcoins Beast Coins Research Site: http://www.beastcoins.com

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Nov 5, 2009, 08:38 PM	#2
Flavus Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 69	Hello Zach, Just googled up two keywords from your questions "Zeno's portraiture" and found that the ONLY result is your post here. I see no sites devoted to Zeno's coinage, no academic paper. So I guess chances are you are on your own on your interesting quest. I personally think it would be a great thesis. Best regards, Flav P.S. Zeno's nose looks so weird on all the coins as if it was erased like in damnatio memoriae or something like that. Or is it just a visual effect?

Nov 8, 2009, 08:06 PM	#4
Flavus Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 69	It's just the contrast that struck me - almost uncirculated quality of the coins and no noses! The quality is so superb - down to the finest detail, that the rubbed off noses (especially on the first one) stand out like a sore thumb. The last one actually looks kind of creepy, as if the skin is melting off his face, which by the way indeed looks like an odd malformation in striking process. I did look up the information about Zeno's rule, and it sounds like that he was not a popular emperor - many revolts during his reign, several times he was ousted from Constantinople; there is even a legend that when he was buried people heard the moaning coming from his grave for three days but nobody came to rescue him - that's how he was hated! I checked the Wildwinds and saw that actually many of his coins have problems with the nose. And it seems to me that (oddly enough) some coins on which he still has his nose intact were struck not in the East but in the West by Odoacer who had no personal hostility to Zeno. Zach, look at the first coin again. How come that one high point - the nose - is so heavily rubbed off and at the same time the other high points of the same coin like the protruding jewells of the crown, which are so tiny at that by the way, are not even touched? Something is not right here.