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Primary sourceArtifact

Tremissis of Justinian I with Victory Reverse

A gold coin minted during Justinian's reign, showing his diademed profile on one side and a winged Victory figure on the other.

This gold coin, struck during Justinian's reign, pairs his portrait with imagery of Victory to project imperial triumph.

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Two views of a gold tremissis coin. Left side: profile bust of a diademed figure facing right, with partial inscription around the edge. Right side: a standing winged figure holding a cross-topped staff, with a faint inscription and an exergue line below.
Tremissis of Justinian I. Lower Danube Museum, Romania.

About this source

What it is

This gold tremissis, a third of a solidus, was minted during the reign of Justinian I. One side shows his bust in profile, diademed and wearing armor and the paludamentum cloak. The other side shows a winged Victory figure walking and looking back, holding a wreath and a globus cruciger. The coin is held by the Lower Danube Museum in Romania.

Why it matters

As a gold coin struck during Justinian's own reign, this object is genuine evidence of the empire's wealth and its use of imagery to communicate imperial triumph and divine favor. The pairing of the emperor's portrait with a Victory figure reflects how Roman and early Byzantine rulers linked themselves to military success and legitimacy.

Look closer

  • What might the Victory figure on the reverse be meant to communicate about Justinian's rule?
  • Why would an emperor's image be paired with a symbol like Victory on currency?
  • What details on this coin have survived clearly, and what has faded with time?

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

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.Artifact

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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