Contorniates, late 4th-early 5h century. Contorniate (Orichalcum, 35 mm, 25.17 g, 12 h). Victorious male figure standing facing, holding wreath in his right hand and leading horse by its bridle with his left. Rev. [...] DONATVS (engraved) Charioteer in facing quadriga, holding wreath in his right hand and palm frond in his left; the head of the charioteer and the two leading horse with silver inlays. Alföldi, Kontorniaten, -, cf. 626 and pl. 203, 4-6 (same type, but different names engraved). Apparently unpublished and of great interest. Spot of corrosion on the obverse, otherwise, good fine.

Many contorniates are related to chariot races, the attendance of which was much more than a favorite pastime in late antiquity. Such events were often highly politically charged and rivalries between the leading racing factions regularly resulted in riots and bloodshed among their supporters. Perhaps the most famous of these unrests were the Nika riots in 532, which evolved into a full scale revolt against Justinian I. With the palace guard declaring neutrality, the emperor resorted to calling in the field army under Belisarius. The legendary general brutally crushed the insurgency, killing tens of thousands of civilians in the process and securing the throne for Justinian. It is reported that much of the imperial capital lay in ruins after the Nika riots, including the Hagia Sophia of Theodosius II. Ironically, it was these devastations that made room for Justinian's large-scale building projects, the most famous of which would be the magnificent Hagia Sophia we know today