Description:
This 11th century Byzantine gold coin features Jesus Christ Pantokrator “Christ in Majesty”, wearing a cruciform nimbus crown while holding the Book of Gospels and raising his right hand in benediction. The Latin inscription IҺS XRS RЄX RЄGNANTIM translates to “Jesus Christ King of Kings.” The reverse shows the crowned Emperor Constantine IX wearing a jeweled chlamys while holding a labarum and a globus cruciger, which were Christian symbols of authority during the Medieval Period.
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, "New Rome." Although Greek was the main language spoken here, the Byzantine citizens still referred to themselves as Romans. The Eastern Romans helped to shield Europe from Muslim expansion and the Empire was a major trade center, which provided a stable gold currency for the region. With the eventual decline of the Western Roman Empire, Constantinople became the richest and most influential center of the Christian world. As this coin shows, art here was mainly devoted to the Christian faith.
This gold coin was minted during the rule of Constantine IX, who was emperor from 1042-1055. It was during the rule of Constantine in 1054, that the centuries-old disagreements finally separated the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Byzantines however, endured for another four centuries and Christianity flourished under their protection.
