hyperpyron

E76413

The hyperpyron was a high-value Byzantine gold coin introduced in the 11th century that became the empire’s principal monetary unit and a key currency in medieval Mediterranean trade.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
hyperpyron canonical 5

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Byzantine gold coin
medieval currency
category Byzantine numismatics
circulationStatus widely accepted in Mediterranean commerce
countryOfOrigin Byzantine Empire
denominationSystem hyperpyron-based Byzantine monetary system
etymology Greek ὑπέρπυρον (hyperpyron)
experienced debasement over time
historicalPeriod Late Byzantine period
Middle Byzantine period
influenced Genoese monetary practices
Venetian ducat valuation
introducedBy Alexios I Komnenos
introducedInCentury 11th century
introducedInYear 1092
laterForm billon hyperpyron
electrum hyperpyron
meaningOfName super-refined
thoroughly fired
metal gold
mintedInCity Constantinople
obverseDesign Christ
linked to: Jesus Christ

religious imagery
primaryUse high-value transactions
international trade
state payments
purityAtIntroduction high gold fineness
replaced histamenon nomisma
linked to: Byzantine solidus

solidus
tetarteron nomisma
reverseDesign Byzantine emperor
linked to: Byzantine emperors

imperial imagery
servedAs key currency in medieval Mediterranean trade
principal monetary unit of the Byzantine Empire
unit of account in late Byzantine period
shape cup-shaped
scyphate
standardWeightApprox 4.45 grams
4.5 grams
subdividedInto aspron trachy
billon trachy
trikephalon
usedBy Byzantine merchants
Byzantine state
linked to: Byzantine Empire

foreign merchants in Mediterranean trade
usedInRegion Balkans
Eastern Mediterranean
Italian maritime cities
Levant
linked to: Levant region

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

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

Byzantine Empire currency hyperpyron
Latin Empire currency hyperpyron
Second Bulgarian Empire currency hyperpyron
Imperium Romaniae currency hyperpyron
Empire of Romania currency hyperpyron