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Primary sourceArtifact

Half Follis of Justinian I with Profile Bust

A small, heavily corroded bronze coin from Justinian's reign showing his profile.

Minted during Justinian's reign, this coin is physical evidence of the currency used across his empire.

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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.
Half follis of Justinian I. National Museum of Romanian History, Romania.

About this source

What it is

This is a half follis, a small bronze coin minted during the reign of Justinian I. It shows a bust of the emperor in profile facing right. The reverse carries a letter mark, a cross, and a mint office symbol. The coin is held by the National Museum of Romanian History.

Why it matters

As an object actually struck during Justinian's reign, this coin is a direct trace of the economy and administration of his empire. Coins carried standardized imagery and value marks across the empire, helping historians understand how currency, trade, and imperial authority worked together in the sixth century.

Look closer

  • Why do you think so much detail on this coin has been lost to corrosion over time?
  • What can the marks on the reverse side tell us about where or how the coin was made?
  • How might studying many coins like this help historians piece together events, even without written records?

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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Portrait of Justinian I, San Vitale Mosaic

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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

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Primary source

Bronze Follis of Justinian I with Globus Cruciger

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

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