Byzantine solidus

E224705

The Byzantine solidus was a highly stable and widely circulated gold coin of the Byzantine Empire that served as a key reference currency across the Mediterranean and beyond for centuries.

All labels observed (9)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Byzantine coinage ⓘ
gold coin ⓘ
historical currency ⓘ
alsoKnownAs bezant (in Western medieval sources) ⓘ
nomisma ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
circulatedIn Central Asia ⓘ
Europe ⓘ
Mediterranean region ⓘ
linked to: Mediterranean

Near East ⓘ
linked to: Middle East

North Africa ⓘ
Rus territories ⓘ
Slavic lands ⓘ
Western Europe ⓘ
early Islamic Caliphates ⓘ
countryOfOrigin Byzantine Empire ⓘ
declinePeriod 11th century debasement crisis ⓘ
denominationSystem 1 solidus = 1,728 folles (in some periods) ⓘ
1 solidus = 24 siliquae ⓘ
followedBy Byzantine hyperpyron ⓘ
foundedBy Constantine the Great ⓘ
linked to: Constantine I
inception c. 309 CE ⓘ
early 4th century CE ⓘ
influenced Islamic dinar ⓘ
linked to: Dinar

Western European gold coinage ⓘ
materialUsed gold ⓘ
mintedAt Constantinople ⓘ
provincial Byzantine mints ⓘ
monetaryRole backbone of Byzantine monetary system ⓘ
unit of account in Mediterranean trade ⓘ
notableFeature often bore Christian symbols ⓘ
often bore image of the emperor ⓘ
remarkable long-term stability of weight and fineness ⓘ
served as standard of value for centuries ⓘ
widely imitated by foreign polities ⓘ
periodOfUse 10th century CE ⓘ
11th century CE ⓘ
4th century CE ⓘ
5th century CE ⓘ
6th century CE ⓘ
7th century CE ⓘ
8th century CE ⓘ
9th century CE ⓘ
reformRelatedTo monetary reform of Alexios I Komnenos ⓘ
replaced Roman aureus ⓘ
scriptUsed Greek inscriptions ⓘ
typicalFineness about 95–98% gold ⓘ
typicalWeight about 4.5 grams ⓘ
usedAs imperial salary payment ⓘ
international trade currency ⓘ
reference currency ⓘ
tax payment medium ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (15)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Dinar → inspiredBy → Byzantine solidus ⓘ
hyperpyron → replaced → histamenon nomisma ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Justin II → currencyIssued → Solidus ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Despotate of the Morea → currency → Byzantine hyperpyron ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Byzantine solidus → alsoKnownAs → nomisma ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Samos Theme → usedCurrency → Byzantine solidus ⓘ
Samos Theme → usedCurrency → Byzantine nomisma ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Judicate of Cagliari → currencyUsed → Byzantine coinage (early period) ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Roman mint → currency → Roman solidus ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Follis → usedAlongside → Byzantine gold solidus ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Byzantine hyperpyron → follows → Byzantine solidus ⓘ
Byzantine hyperpyron → replaced → Byzantine solidus ⓘ
Carthaginensis → currency → Roman solidus ⓘ
linked to: Byzantine solidus
Opsikion Theme → usedCurrency → Byzantine solidus ⓘ