Byzantine Coinage

"The first part [of this publication] is a second edition of Byzantine coinage, originally published in 1982 as number 4 in the series Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine Collection Publications ... The second part ... is a condensation of a much longer unpublished typescript, produced for the Coin Room at Dumbarton Oaks, describing the formation of the collection and its publication."--Preface.

The Byzantine Empire lasted for almost a thousand years after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West. The period covered by this catalogue is from the reign of Anastasius I (491518) until the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453. When this catalogue was first published in 1974 it was hailed as containing more information in a concise form than any other single volume on the Byzantine series.

The final volume in the series, this catalogue follows the general plan of volumes II-IV but differs from them in its use of the sylloge format for the catalogue proper. The collection of Palaeologan coins at Dumbarton Oaks is by far the largest that exists, and the field is one in which great advances have been made over the last half-century. This volume supersedes the previous accounts of Palaeologan coinage, and is definitive in its field. Part I includes the introduction, appendices, and bibliography, while Part II continues with the catalogue, concordances, and indexes.

In volume three of this series, Part I covers the period between Leo III to Michale III (867-1081), while Part II covers Bail I to Nicephorus III (867-1081).

The first volume in the catalogue covers the coins of Anastasius I through Maurice, and includes a history of the collections.

The growing popularity of the Byzantine series amongst coin collectors is a recent phenomenon which prompts enquiry into what may have brought it about. Undoubtedly there is an element of investment value as coins can be both works of art and antiques which, under modern conditions it seems, often prove more attractive to investors--great and small--than market stocks and shares. The Byzantine series provides a prolific gold coinage with many rarities and some outstanding works of art, although little so obviously attractive to the investor or art collector as the Greek or even the Roman Imperial and English Hammered series have done. -- Pg. 11.

Numerous studies have been carried out on Byzantine coins, but there are still no univocal interpretations on the details of the figures represented there and in particular on those relating to Jesus Christ. The information derived from the studies on the Holy Shroud, the most important Relic of Christ in Christianity, has clearly resulted in some new interpretations. This is the first book in the world that deals extensively with the effigy of Christ, despite being the most sought after and collected by numismatists. Furthermore, the book relates the different images of the Redeemer on Byzantine coins with the image of Jesus Christ on the Shroud, the most important Relic of Christianity. The numerous collectors will therefore be interested in having not only a numismatic analysis of these coins but also a historical-religious study. This book, which should be understandable to everyone, demonstrates the strong influence that the Shroud had in the Byzantine era.