JUSTIN II & SOPHIA 565AD Constantinople Original Ancient Medieval Byzantine Coin

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Item: i24919 Authentic Ancient Coin of: Justin II - Byzantine Emperor: November 15, 565 A.D. - October 5, 578 A.D. Justin II & Queen Sophia - Bronze Follis 32mm (13.18 grams) Struck at the mint of Constantinople circa November 15, 565 A.D. - October 5, 578 A.D. Reference: Sear 360 D N IVSTINVS PP AVG - Justin, on left, and Sophia on right, seated facing on double throne, both nimbate; he holds globe cross, she holds cruciform sceptre. Large M; above Chi-Rho; to left, A / N / N O ; to right, numerals representing regnal year beneath, officina letter, in exergue CON. You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity. The Chi Rho is one of the earliest christograms used by Christians. It is formed by superimposing the first two letters in the Greek spelling of the word Christ ( Greek : "Χριστός" ), chi = ch and rho = r, in such a way to produce the monogram ☧ . The Chi-Rho symbol was also used by pagan Greek scribes to mark, in the margin, a particularly valuable or relevant passage; the combined letters Chi and Rho standing for chrēston, meaning "good." Although not technically a cross, the Chi Rho invokes the crucifixion of Jesus as well as symbolizing his status as the Christ. There is early evidence of the Chi Rho symbol on Christian Rings of the third century. Flavius Iustinus (Iunior) Augustus (c. 520 - 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 to 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I , and husband of Sophia , the niece of the late empress Theodora , and therefore member of the Justinian Dynasty . His reign is marked by war with Persia and the loss of the greater part of Italy . Reign When Justinian died on November 14 , 565 , Justin was elevated to the imperial throne by a group of court officials claiming that Justinian had named him as his successor on his deathbed, thus passing by another possible candidate for imperial succession, a nephew of Justinian Germanus , also called Justin, who was not present in the capital at the time of the emperor's death.In the first few days of his reign Justin paid his uncle's debts, administered justice in person, and proclaimed universal religious toleration. Contrary to his uncle, Justin relied completely on the support of the aristocratic party.Proud of character, and faced with an empty treasury, he discontinued Justinian's practice of buying off potential enemies. Immediately after his accession, Justin halted the payment of subsidies to the Avars , ending a truce that had existed since 558. After the Avars and the neighbouring tribe of the Lombards had combined to destroy the Gepids , from whom Justin had obtained the Danube fortress of Sirmium , Avar pressure caused the Lombards to migrate West, and in 568 they invaded Italy under their king Alboin . They quickly overran the Po valley, and within a few years they had made themselves masters of nearly the entire country. The Avars themselves crossed the Danube in 573 or 574, when the empire's attention was distracted by troubles on the Persian frontier. They were only placated by the payment of a subsidy of 60,000 silver pieces by Justin's successor Tiberius .The North and East frontiers were the main focus of Justin's attention. In 572 his refusal to pay tribute to the Persians in combination with overtures to the Turks led to a war with the Sassanid Empire. After two disastrous campaigns, in which the Persians overran Syria and captured the strategically important fortress of Dara , Justin reportedly lost his mind. The temporary fits of insanity into which he fell warned him to name a colleague. Passing over his own relatives, he raised, on the advice of Sophia, the general Tiberius to be Caesar in December 574 and withdrew into retirement. In 574, Sophia paid 45,000 solidi to Chosroes in return for a year's truce. Sophia and Tiberius ruled together as joint regents for four years, while Justin sank into growing insanity . When he died in 578 Tiberius ... read more

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