Coin of Manuel I Komnenos
Type:
Coins
Date:
ca, 1150
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Turkey
Medium:
Gold
Dimensions:
3.1 cm
Description:
On the obverse of this sizable gold coin, a youthful, cross-numbed Christ is inscribed in Greek "Lord help." This prayer continues on the reverse with "Manuel despot the porphyrogennitos," meaning that the emperor Manuel was born in the porphyry-clad chamber in the palace in Constantinople reserved for imperial births (his parents were Emperor John II Komnenos and Empress Eirene). The beardless Christ is known as Emmanuel, meaning "God is with us," from Isaiah's prophecy (Isa. 7:14) about a young woman bearing a son with that name. Christians had long interpreted this passage as a type for Mary and Jesus; at the same time, Emanuel is the name of the emperor commemorated on the coin, Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–80). Contemporary and later poets praised him as "divine" and "savior of the world"; during Manuel's long reign the Byzantine Empire flourished and even, briefly, expanded. This coin is a hyperperon (meaning refined above fire, and therefore very pure), the dominant coin in Mediterranean trade between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Repository and Online Resources:
• Read more about this coin on the Dumbarton Oaks website.
Image Credits:
Dumbarton Oaks, used by permission
