Tremissis of Maurice Tiberius, Constantinople c. 583s - 593s

This gold Tremissis was produced in Constantinople, during the reign of Maurice Tiberius. It presents us with potent symbols, most notably the cross. The cross, centrally placed, immediately evokes the profound shift towards Christianity in the Roman Empire. But let us not confine ourselves to merely its religious significance. The cross, in its essence, is the intersection of the vertical and horizontal—spirit and matter, heaven and earth. We find earlier echoes of this motif in the Babylonian sun-wheel, a symbol of cosmic order and cyclical return. The swastika, appropriated and distorted in the 20th century, also reminds us of this symbol's long, complex, and often contradictory history. Ultimately, this coin invites us to contemplate the cyclical nature of symbols themselves. They resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, engaging us on a subconscious level, reminding us of the enduring power of images.