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Primary sourceArtifact

Bronze Follis of Justinian I with Globus Cruciger

A worn bronze coin minted during Justinian's reign, showing him crowned and armored while holding an orb topped with a cross.

This coin was minted during Justinian's own reign and shows how he presented his imperial image to his subjects.

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Photograph of a dark, corroded bronze coin on a white background, shown face-on as a round object with a rough, pitted surface. Faint raised details are barely visible under the patina.
Bronze follis of Justinian I. National Museum of Bukovina, Romania.

About this source

What it is

This is a bronze follis, a coin minted during the reign of Emperor Justinian I. It shows the emperor facing forward, wearing a helmet and diadem, dressed in armor, and holding a globus cruciger — a globe topped with a cross — in his right hand. The coin is held today by the National Museum of Bukovina in Romania.

Why it matters

Coins like this were made and circulated during Justinian's actual lifetime, making them genuine objects from his era. Rulers used coin imagery as propaganda, spreading an approved image of their power and Christian authority across the empire, since many ordinary people would never see the emperor in person.

Look closer

  • What does the choice to show the emperor holding a cross-topped globe tell you about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a coin be an especially effective way to spread an image of a ruler?
  • What has been lost or worn away on this coin over the centuries, and how does that affect what we can learn from it?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Justinian I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Close-up of a Byzantine mosaic portrait showing a man with dark hair, a jeweled diadem, and a gold halo, wearing a dark embroidered garment with a jeweled collar. Gold tesserae fill the background.Artifact

Primary source

Portrait of Justinian I, San Vitale Mosaic

Byzantine mosaicists · c. 547

Engraving of a standing male figure in a long draped robe and crown, holding a globe, with a classical balustraded terrace and building behind. Caption below reads: Effigies Imp. Iustiniani ex Alemanni Notis ad Procopii historiam arcanam p. 28.Painting

Secondary source

Portrait of Emperor Justinian

Johann Friedrich Böck

Title page of a 1663 edition of the Corpus Juris Civilis, printed in black and red-brown type in Latin. Large capitals read 'CORPUS JURIS CIVILIS' with smaller lines below, and an engraved oval vignette of a sunrise over a hilltop town sits near the bottom with the Latin words 'CAETERA CEDANT' on its frame. Publication details appear beneath.Document

Primary source

Corpus Juris Civilis

Tribonian · 528-534

Exterior view of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul under a clear blue sky. A large central dome rests on a pink-and-cream walled structure, flanked by tall white minarets and a brick-red minaret, with smaller domes and trees in the foreground and visitors on the paths below.Artifact

Secondary source

Hagia Sophia

Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles · 532-537 CE

Photograph of a corroded, dark bronze coin on a white background, roughly circular with an irregular rim. Patches of pale green and white corrosion cover its surface; the design is barely legible.Artifact

Primary source

Half Follis of Justinian I with Profile Bust

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