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Leo III and Constantine V Gold Solidus, obverse

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Byzantine

Leo III and Constantine V Gold Solidus

Leo III and Constantine V · Isaurian Empire

Leo III and Constantine V face one another across the two sides of the solidus, replacing sacred figural imagery with a direct statement of dynasty.

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Object number
AG-033
Date
AD 720–740/1
Denomination
AV Solidus
Material
Gold
Weight
4.41 g
Grade
AU · Strike 4/5 · Surface 3/5
Certification
NGC Ancients

Record completeness

Evidence, made visible

  • Object identityDocumented
  • Physical recordPartly documented
  • AttributionPartly documented
  • Legends & imageryNot recorded
  • ProvenanceNot recorded

The Story Behind the Strike

Leo III founded the Isaurian dynasty after defending Constantinople and stabilizing a throne shaken by rapid changes of ruler. He associated his son Constantine V with power, and this solidus makes the partnership the entire program: father on one side, heir on the other. The absence of Christ, saints or angels is historically significant in the context of the eighth-century controversy over religious images. Whatever the precise relationship between coin design and imperial theology, the type unmistakably concentrates authority in the reigning house. Gold becomes a portable genealogy, presenting succession as simple, balanced and inevitable.