Da Afrodite alla croce Un episodio della cristianizzazione dei tipi monetali a Costantinopoli nel VI secolo: Un episodio della cristianizzazione dei tipi monetali a Costantinopoli nel VI secolo

This paper examines the connection between the change in Byzantine gold coinage upon the accession of Tiberius II and an account from the historian John of Ephesus. The historian reports that this innovation was in direct opposition to the coins of Tiberius’s predecessor, Justin II, whose solidi featured an image that many perceived as the goddess Aphrodite. It is suggested that the identification with Aphrodite was unlikely at a popular level and may instead reflect a religious and political polemic targeting Justin II.