BYZANTINE. 5th-6th centuries. Uniface Plaquette (Bronze, 52 mm, 16.60 g). DOKIMOC / OBP•IMOY ΥΦЄCTIAC / Є; all engraved. Rev. Blank. Light deposits, otherwise, very fine.


The obverse legend, which translates as 'Tested strong, (having been purified) in fire five times', shows this object is related to the purification of gold. Gold was refined by smelting it at a high temperature, which separated the precious metal from any impurities. This could be done several times to reach the desired purity - obryzum gold was supposedly smelted seven times, while our object refers to five rounds of purification. While the exact purpose of the present piece is unclear, it may have been a lid for a vessel containing pieces of refined gold, and as such it is a valuable witness to ancient metallurgy.