Ground-plan of the 2nd Floor of the Iliou Melathron
(Press to tour the rooms or the 1st and 2nd floors)


3D Virual reality objects
Virtual touch of selectively objects of the exhibition

Coinage in the Byzantine World

The Byzantine empire was the continuation of the Roman empire in eastern Mediterranean, a fact also shown in the gradual transition from the Roman to the Byzantine coinage. The Byzantine coinage was distributed in the greater part of the then known world and functioned as the prototype of coins issued both in Medieval West and East. The solidus, the basic numismatic unit of the Byzantine monetary system was the strong gold coin of the Middle Ages because it remained a fixed value in the international transactions until the 11th century. The circulation of gold, silver and copper coins bear witness to the high degree of monetisation of the Byzantine economy. Weights and lead bullae offer important information on the organisation of the Byzantine administrative system and the function of trade.