Three-Ounce Weight with Imperial Busts of Justin II, Sophia and Justinian(?)
Dublin Core
Title
Three-Ounce Weight with Imperial Busts of Justin II, Sophia and Justinian(?)
Subject
Three-Ounce Weight with Imperial Busts of Justin II, Sophia and Justinian(?), 16 March 575 CE, Mixed copper alloy, h. 4 x w. 4 x d. 0.4 cm (1 9/16 x 1 9/16 x 3/16 in.), 78.46 g, Harvard Art Museum
Description
This flat square weight was used for weighing coins on a balance scale. The inscription provides unusually detailed and precise information concerning the object’s date of issue: twentieth of Phamenoth, eighth indiction (16 March 575 CE). It is rare for early Byzantine weights to be dated to the year, let alone the exact day (1). Furthermore, the weight reveals its Egyptian origin through the calendar system used in the inscription; Phamenoth is the fifth month of the Egyptian calendar.
Byzantine coin weights are often decorated with the images or names of the individual under whose authority the weight was issued. In this instance, the inscription designates one Iulianos, who possesses the relatively low-ranking title of stratelates and was likely a provincial governor or local official. Two of the three figures on the obverse represent the imperial pair Justin II (r. 565-78 CE) and Sophia. As senior emperor, Justin II holds the preeminent position at center, while the empress Sophia appears to his left. Both wear three-pronged crowns; Justin’s is decorated with pendilia (embellishments hanging from the temples). The iconography of the object is unusual; bronze weights from the reign of Justin II and Sophia typically feature only the two rulers with their monogram and an inscription providing the date (2). A third figure appears to Justin’s right and is nimbed but uncrowned. This may be the local authority, Iulianos, mentioned in the inscription (3). Alternatively it could depict Tiberios, who was appointed caesar (junior emperor) on 7 December 574 CE, just three months before this weight was issued. In this case, the lack of a crown would indicate Tiberios’ junior status (4). Tiberios was selected as co-ruler by Sophia, who increasingly assumed imperial authority when Justin II’s mental health declined sharply during the early 570s CE (5). This weight provides what would be the only known image of the imperial triad.
Byzantine coin weights are often decorated with the images or names of the individual under whose authority the weight was issued. In this instance, the inscription designates one Iulianos, who possesses the relatively low-ranking title of stratelates and was likely a provincial governor or local official. Two of the three figures on the obverse represent the imperial pair Justin II (r. 565-78 CE) and Sophia. As senior emperor, Justin II holds the preeminent position at center, while the empress Sophia appears to his left. Both wear three-pronged crowns; Justin’s is decorated with pendilia (embellishments hanging from the temples). The iconography of the object is unusual; bronze weights from the reign of Justin II and Sophia typically feature only the two rulers with their monogram and an inscription providing the date (2). A third figure appears to Justin’s right and is nimbed but uncrowned. This may be the local authority, Iulianos, mentioned in the inscription (3). Alternatively it could depict Tiberios, who was appointed caesar (junior emperor) on 7 December 574 CE, just three months before this weight was issued. In this case, the lack of a crown would indicate Tiberios’ junior status (4). Tiberios was selected as co-ruler by Sophia, who increasingly assumed imperial authority when Justin II’s mental health declined sharply during the early 570s CE (5). This weight provides what would be the only known image of the imperial triad.
Source
https://iiif.harvardartmuseums.org/manifests/object/191384
Collection
Citation
“Three-Ounce Weight with Imperial Busts of Justin II, Sophia and Justinian(?),” HAA Image Hosting, accessed May 10, 2026, https://haaimagehosting.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/1171.
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