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Featured Article Byzantine ancient coins Byzantine coins, although still considered ancient, are not nearly as old. Byzantine currency, money used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West, consisted of mainly two types of coins: the gold solidus - is slightly over 1000 years old, minted during the middle ages, and a variety of clearly valued bronze coins. The Byzantine currency came into existence when Anastasius in 498 imposed a monetary reform for the Roman Empire coinage system, which consisted of the bronze nummi and the gold solidus. The nummus was an extremely small bronze coin, about 8-10mm. It is made up of multiples of small currencies such as the 40 nummi, 20 nummi, 10 nummi, and 5 nummi coins. The obverse (front) of these coins featured a highly stylized portrait of the emperor while the reverse (back) featured the value of the denomination represented according to the Greek numbering system: M = 40; K = 20; I = 10; and, E = 5. The golden solidus remained a standard of international commerce until the eleventh century. Until that time, the fineness of the gold remained consistent at about .955-.980. In the early ninth century, a three-fourths-weight solidus was issued in parallel with a full-weight solidus, both preserving the standard of fineness. The three-fourths weight coin was called a Tetarteron (Gk, 'fourth-er'), and the full weight solidus was called the Histamenon. The full weight solidus was struck at 72 to the Roman pound, roughly 4.48 grams in weight. There were also solidi of weight reduced by one siliqua - weighed about 4,25g with a star both on obverse and reverse, issued for trade with the near orient. The Byzantine monetary system changed during the 7th century when the 40 nummi (also known as the follis), now significantly smaller, became the only bronze coin to be regularly issued. Copyright © 2005 Collectible World Coins. All rights reserved.