Leu Numismatik AG
Auction 7 24-25 Oct 2020
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Phocas, 602-610. Weight of 1 Libra (Orichalcum, 60 mm, 328.00 g, 11 h), a circular discoid commercial weight with plain edges. Petrus, praefectus praetoria and vir illustris (?). Constantinopolis, RY 8 = 609/10. + δomINЧS FOCA PERPET AЧT ANNO ЧII around ΛS - A; all inlaid in silver and niello. Rev. + ET PETRЧS Ч IҺҺ PREF PRET around ΛS - A; all inlaid in silver. Bendall -. CPAI -. MAH -. Pondera -. Unpublished and of the greatest importance. A fascinating imperial weight of the emperor Phocas. Nearly extremely fine.
Imperial Byzantine weights are extremely rare and unusual: in this case, it is a beautifully produced weight of 1 Libra or a Roman Pound of Phocas dated to his 8th regnal year, his last, which equates to 609/10. Phocas' late reign was tumultuous, to say the least, with rebellions, civil wars between the circus factions and Persian invasions tearing the empire apart. The end came in early October 610, when Heraclius, the son of the eponymous Exarch of Africa, appeared with his fleet near the capital and Phocas was captured and beheaded.
There are several interesting aspects of this weight worth mentioning: first, the obverse legend is inlaid - apparently randomly - both in in silver and niello, the meaning of which is unknown. Secondly, the fact that the praetorian prefect Petrus is named on the reverse of an imperial weight goes on to show that this office was still of crucial importance under Phocas, losing its weight only some decades later in the course of the reorganization of the empire into thémata. Thirdly, it is worth noting that Petrus' name is clearly spelled out in larger letters than the rest of the legend, including the name of the emperor, perhaps reflecting his responsibility for the production of the official market weights. Alternatively, did the prefect perhaps seize the opportunity to give his own name more prominence over that of an emperor in the final stages of his reign?
Imperial Byzantine weights are extremely rare and unusual: in this case, it is a beautifully produced weight of 1 Libra or a Roman Pound of Phocas dated to his 8th regnal year, his last, which equates to 609/10. Phocas' late reign was tumultuous, to say the least, with rebellions, civil wars between the circus factions and Persian invasions tearing the empire apart. The end came in early October 610, when Heraclius, the son of the eponymous Exarch of Africa, appeared with his fleet near the capital and Phocas was captured and beheaded.
There are several interesting aspects of this weight worth mentioning: first, the obverse legend is inlaid - apparently randomly - both in in silver and niello, the meaning of which is unknown. Secondly, the fact that the praetorian prefect Petrus is named on the reverse of an imperial weight goes on to show that this office was still of crucial importance under Phocas, losing its weight only some decades later in the course of the reorganization of the empire into thémata. Thirdly, it is worth noting that Petrus' name is clearly spelled out in larger letters than the rest of the legend, including the name of the emperor, perhaps reflecting his responsibility for the production of the official market weights. Alternatively, did the prefect perhaps seize the opportunity to give his own name more prominence over that of an emperor in the final stages of his reign?