Heraclius, with Heraclius Constantine, 610-641. Solidus (Gold, 22 mm, 4.49 g, 7 h), uncertain eastern military mint (Cyprus or Jerusalem?), IY 10 = 621/2. dd NN hERACLIЧS ET hERA CONST P P AV Draped and short-bearded bust of Heraclius facing, wearing crown surmounted by cross, on the left; draped and beardless bust of Heraclius Constantine facing, wearing crown surmounted by cross, on the right; above, cross. Rev. VICTORIA AVςЧ I / CONOB Cross potent on base and three steps; in field to right, star. DOC -. MIB 78 ('Cyprus'). SB 852A ('Jerusalem'). Extremely rare. A few light marks, otherwise, about extremely fine.



This extremely rare solidus forms part of an issue struck at an eastern military mint. Unlike SB 852, our specimen can be dated securely by Indiction Year 10, and was therefore struck in 621/2, at a time when the Roman Empire had reached its nadir and was engaged in a desperate struggle for survival against the Sasanian Empire. Large parts of the empire had already been lost; the Sasanians had captured and sacked Antioch and had repeatedly advanced as far as the Bosporus. Only Heraclius' desperate counteroffensive launched in 624 was to reverse the course of the war and bring not the Byzantine Empire but the Sasanian Empire to ruin.

The place of minting remains uncertain. MIB attributed the issue to a mint on Cyprus, whereas Sear regarded it as a Jerusalem issue. Given the turmoil of the war on the mainland, the former seems more likely, though no secure attribution has yet been established.