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Showcase Auction 61288 18 Sep 2022
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Basil II Bulgaroctonos (AD 976-1025). AR miliaresion (27mm, 2.86 gm, 7h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5, marks. Constantinople, AD 989. ΘCЄ bΘ, tOIS bASILS', nimbate bust of the Virgin Nikopoios facing, wearing pallium and maphorium, holding with both hands medallion with the draped, nimbate bust of the infant Christ; MHP (monogram)-ΘV (barred) across fields, triple border / + mЄR ΘЧ (barred) / DЄDOIASm / O ЄIS SЄ ЄL' / ΠIZwn OЧ / C AΠOt, X, legend in five lines; diamond of four pellets and two lines below, triple border. Sear 1809. DOC III 19. Rare; a fascinating type of great historical interest. Lightly toned with attractive earthen highlights and excellent eye appeal.
From the Historical Scholar Collection
The occasion for the minting of this very rare type was probably the conclusion of the second great civil war of Basil II's reign. The young Basil II faced two revolts in his early years on the throne, both from members of the Anatolian aristocracy named Bardas. The first revolt occured from 976-979 and was led by Bardas Skleros. Skleros was defeated by another member of the Anatolian military elite, Bardas Phokas, nephew of the former emperor Nicephorus II and leader of the forces loyal to the emperor. Ten years later, Phokas decided to rebel against Basil, marching with a large contingent of loyal troops towards the capital. He began to lay siege to the city of Abydus, which, if captured, would have allowed Phokas to blockade the Dardanelles. At just the right moment, reinforcements from the newly Christianized Kievan Rus arrived to fight on Basil's side.
What followed is a dramatic scene that exemplifies Byzantine military life and the code of honor that accompanied it in the 9th and 10th centuries. With the two armies in sight of each other and preparing for battle, Phokas heroically galloped forward towards the emperor, seeking personal combat with him. This scene is emblematic of the behavior of Byzantine nobles and royalty of the period; a very similar scene occurs during the Byzantine national epic poem Digenis Akritas, in which a young Byzantine nobleman bravely engages in personal combat with an Arab emir to avoid a battle. As Phokas galloped towards the emperor, he suddenly suffered a seizure and died. Without its charismatic leader, the rebellion quickly collapsed, as it had not been a revolt of ideology but one of raw power. The two revolts had both severely threatened Basil's rule but left him stronger than he would have been without them, as he had an excuse to dramatically curtail the powers of the aristocracy for the rest of his reign.
These miliaresia, originally attributed to John I, have been securely attributed by Philip Grierson not only to Basil II but to the successful defeat of Phokas' rebellion in 989. At Abydus, the Virgin Nikopoios had played a pivotal role in raising the morale of the imperial troops, and it is likely that Basil struck these coins in commemoration. The unusual obverse inscription translates to "O Virgin aid the emperors". The reverse inscription translates to "Mother of God, full of glory, he who puts his trust in you will never fail in his undertakings".
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/byzantine/ancients-basil-ii-bulgaroctonos-ad-976-1025-ar-miliaresion-27mm-286-gm-7h-ngc-au-5-5-3-5-marks/a/61288-95316.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61288-09182022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Basil II Bulgaroctonos (AD 976-1025). AR miliaresion (27mm, 2.86 gm, 7h). NGC AU 5/5 - 3/5, marks. Constantinople, AD 989. ΘCЄ bΘ, tOIS bASILS', nimbate bust of the Virgin Nikopoios facing, wearing pallium and maphorium, holding with both hands medallion with the draped, nimbate bust of the infant Christ; MHP (monogram)-ΘV (barred) across fields, triple border / + mЄR ΘЧ (barred) / DЄDOIASm / O ЄIS SЄ ЄL' / ΠIZwn OЧ / C AΠOt, X, legend in five lines; diamond of four pellets and two lines below, triple border. Sear 1809. DOC III 19. Rare; a fascinating type of great historical interest. Lightly toned with attractive earthen highlights and excellent eye appeal.
From the Historical Scholar Collection
The occasion for the minting of this very rare type was probably the conclusion of the second great civil war of Basil II's reign. The young Basil II faced two revolts in his early years on the throne, both from members of the Anatolian aristocracy named Bardas. The first revolt occured from 976-979 and was led by Bardas Skleros. Skleros was defeated by another member of the Anatolian military elite, Bardas Phokas, nephew of the former emperor Nicephorus II and leader of the forces loyal to the emperor. Ten years later, Phokas decided to rebel against Basil, marching with a large contingent of loyal troops towards the capital. He began to lay siege to the city of Abydus, which, if captured, would have allowed Phokas to blockade the Dardanelles. At just the right moment, reinforcements from the newly Christianized Kievan Rus arrived to fight on Basil's side.
What followed is a dramatic scene that exemplifies Byzantine military life and the code of honor that accompanied it in the 9th and 10th centuries. With the two armies in sight of each other and preparing for battle, Phokas heroically galloped forward towards the emperor, seeking personal combat with him. This scene is emblematic of the behavior of Byzantine nobles and royalty of the period; a very similar scene occurs during the Byzantine national epic poem Digenis Akritas, in which a young Byzantine nobleman bravely engages in personal combat with an Arab emir to avoid a battle. As Phokas galloped towards the emperor, he suddenly suffered a seizure and died. Without its charismatic leader, the rebellion quickly collapsed, as it had not been a revolt of ideology but one of raw power. The two revolts had both severely threatened Basil's rule but left him stronger than he would have been without them, as he had an excuse to dramatically curtail the powers of the aristocracy for the rest of his reign.
These miliaresia, originally attributed to John I, have been securely attributed by Philip Grierson not only to Basil II but to the successful defeat of Phokas' rebellion in 989. At Abydus, the Virgin Nikopoios had played a pivotal role in raising the morale of the imperial troops, and it is likely that Basil struck these coins in commemoration. The unusual obverse inscription translates to "O Virgin aid the emperors". The reverse inscription translates to "Mother of God, full of glory, he who puts his trust in you will never fail in his undertakings".
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/byzantine/ancients-basil-ii-bulgaroctonos-ad-976-1025-ar-miliaresion-27mm-286-gm-7h-ngc-au-5-5-3-5-marks/a/61288-95316.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61288-09182022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved