Michael VII Ducas with labarum 1071AD Ancient Byzantine Coin Christ i39350

Description

Item:
i39350
Authentic Ancient Coin of:
Michael VII Ducas
Byzantine Emperor
:
October 24, 1071 - March 24, 1078 A.D.
Bronze Follis 25mm (5.80 grams) Constantinople mint: 1071-1078 A.D.
Reference: Sear 1878
Bust of
Christ
facing, cross behind head, wearing pallium and colobium, and raising right hand
in benediction; in left hand, book of Gospels; in field, above transverse limbs
of cross, IC - XC; beneath limbs, large star on either side of bust.
+ MIXAH
Λ RACIΛ O Δ, Bust facing, bearded, wearing crown and loros, and
holding
labarum
and globe cross.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Labarum of Constantine I, displaying the "Chi-Rho" symbol above.
The
labarum
was a
vexillum
(military standard) that displayed the "
Chi-Rho
" symbol
☧
, formed from the first two
Greek letters
of the word "
Christ
"  —
Chi
and
Rho
. It was first used by the
Roman emperor
Constantine I
. Since the vexillum consisted of a flag suspended from the crossbar of a cross, it was ideally suited to symbolize the
crucifixion
of
Christ
.
Later usage has sometimes regarded the terms "labarum" and "Chi-Rho" as synonyms. Ancient sources, however, draw an unambiguous distinction between the two.
Etymology
Beyond its derivation from Latin
labarum
, the etymology of the word is unclear. Some derive it from Latin /labāre/ 'to totter, to waver' (in the sense of the "waving" of a flag in the breeze) or
laureum [vexillum]
("laurel standard"). According to the
Real Academia Española
, the related
lábaro
is also derived from Latin
labărum
but offers no further derivation from within Latin, as does the Oxford English Dictionary.
[5]
An origin as a loan into Latin from a Celtic language or
Basque
has also been postulated. There is a traditional Basque symbol called the
lauburu
; though the name is only attested from the 19th century onwards the motif occurs in engravings dating as early as the 2nd century AD.
Vision of Constantine
A coin of Constantine (c.337) showing a depiction of his labarum spearing a serpent.
On the evening of October 27, 312, with his army preparing for the
Battle of the Milvian Bridge
, the emperor
Constantine I
claimed to have had a vision which led him to believe he was fighting under the protection of the
Christian God
.
Lactantius
states that, in the night before the battle, Constantine was commanded in a dream to "delineate the heavenly sign on the shields of his soldiers". He obeyed and marked the shields with a sign "denoting Christ". Lactantius describes that sign as a "staurogram", or a
Latin cross
with its upper end rounded in a P-like fashion, rather than the better known
Chi-Rho
sign described by
Eusebius of Caesarea
. Thus, it had both the form of a cross and the monogram of Christ's name from the formed letters "X" and "P", the first letters of Christ's name in Greek.
From Eusebius, two accounts of a battle survive. The first, shorter one in the
Ecclesiastical History
leaves no doubt that God helped Constantine but doesn't mention any vision. In his later
Life of Constantine
, Eusebius gives a detailed account of a vision and stresses that he had heard the story from the emperor himself. According to this version, Constantine with his army was marching somewhere (Eusebius doesn't specify the actual location of the event, but it clearly isn't in the camp at Rome) when he looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the Greek words
Ἐν Τούτῳ Νίκα
. The traditionally employed Latin translation of the Greek is
in hoc signo vinces
— literally "In this sign, you will conquer." However, a direct translation from the original Greek text of Eusebius into English gives the phrase "By this, conquer!"
At first he was unsure of the meaning of the apparition, but the following night he had a dream in which Christ explained to him that he should use the sign against his enemies. Eusebius then continues to describe the labarum, the military standard used by Constantine in his later wars against
Licinius
, showing the Chi-Rho sign.
Those two accounts can hardly be reconciled with each other, though they have been merged in popular notion into Constantine seeing the Chi-Rho sign on the evening before the battle. Both authors agree that the sign was not readily understandable as denoting Christ, which corresponds with the fact that there is no certain evidence of the use of the letters chi and rho as a Christian sign before Constantine. Its first appearance is on a Constantinian silver coin from c. 317, which proves that Constantine did use the sign at that time, though not very prominently. He made extensive use of the Chi-Rho and the labarum only later in the conflict with Licinius.
The vision has been interpreted in a solar context (e.g. as a
solar halo
phenomenon), which would have been reshaped to fit with the Christian beliefs of the later Constantine.
An alternate explanation of the intersecting celestial symbol has been advanced by George Latura, which claims that Plato's visible god in
Timaeus
is in fact the intersection of the Milky Way and the Zodiacal Light, a rare apparition important to pagan beliefs that Christian bishops reinvented as a Christian symbol.
Eusebius' description of the labarum
"A Description of the Standard of the Cross, which the Romans now call the Labarum." "Now it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour’s name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre: and these letters the emperor was in the habit of wearing on his helmet at a later period. From the cross-bar of the spear was suspended a cloth, a royal piece, covered with a profuse embroidery of most brilliant precious stones; and which, being also richly interlaced with gold, presented an indescribable degree of beauty to the beholder. This banner was of a square form, and the upright staff, whose lower section was of great length, of the pious emperor and his children on its upper part, beneath the trophy of the cross, and immediately above the embroidered banner."
"The emperor constantly made use of this sign of salvation as a safeguard against every adverse and hostile power, and commanded that others similar to it should be carried at the head of all his armies."
Iconographic career under Constantine
Coin of
Vetranio
, a soldier is holding two labara. Interestingly they differ from the labarum of Constantine in having the Chi-Rho depicted on the cloth rather than above it, and in having their staves decorated with
phalerae
as were earlier Roman military unit standards.
The emperor
Honorius
holding a variant of the labarum - the Latin phrase on the cloth means "In the name of Christ [rendered by the Greek letters XPI] be ever victorious."
Among a number of standards depicted on the
Arch of Constantine
, which was erected, largely with fragments from older monuments, just three years after the battle, the labarum does not appear. A grand opportunity for just the kind of political propaganda that the Arch otherwise was expressly built to present was missed. That is if Eusebius' oath-confirmed account of Constantine's sudden, vision-induced, conversion can be trusted. Many historians have argued that in the early years after the battle the emperor had not yet decided to give clear public support to Christianity, whether from a lack of personal faith or because of fear of religious friction. The arch's inscription does say that the Emperor had saved the
res publica
INSTINCTV DIVINITATIS MENTIS MAGNITVDINE
("by greatness of mind and by instinct [or impulse] of divinity"). As with his predecessors, sun symbolism – interpreted as representing
Sol Invictus
(the Unconquered Sun) or
Helios
,
Apollo
or
Mithras
– is inscribed on his coinage, but in 325 and thereafter the coinage ceases to be explicitly pagan, and Sol Invictus disappears. In his
Historia Ecclesiae
Eusebius further reports that, after his victorious entry into Rome, Constantine had a statue of himself erected, "holding the sign of the Savior [the cross] in his right hand." There are no other reports to confirm such a monument.
Whether Constantine was the first
Christian
emperor supporting a peaceful transition to Christianity during his rule, or an undecided pagan believer until middle age, strongly influenced in his political-religious decisions by his Christian mother
St. Helena
, is still in dispute among historians.
As for the labarum itself, there is little evidence for its use before 317.In the course of Constantine's second war against Licinius in 324, the latter developed a superstitious dread of Constantine's standard. During the attack of Constantine's troops at the
Battle of Adrianople
the guard of the labarum standard were directed to move it to any part of the field where his soldiers seemed to be faltering. The appearance of this talismanic object appeared to embolden Constantine's troops and dismay those of Licinius.At the final battle of the war, the
Battle of Chrysopolis
, Licinius, though prominently displaying the images of Rome's pagan pantheon on his own battle line, forbade his troops from actively attacking the labarum, or even looking at it directly.
[16]
Constantine felt that both Licinius and
Arius
were agents of Satan, and associated them with the serpent described in the
Book of Revelation
(
12:9
). Constantine represented Licinius as a snake on his coins.
Eusebius stated that in addition to the singular labarum of Constantine, other similar standards (labara) were issued to the Roman army. This is confirmed by the two labara depicted being held by a soldier on a coin of
Vetranio
(illustrated) dating from 350.
Later usage
Modern ecclesiastical labara (Southern Germany).
The emperor
Constantine Monomachos
(centre panel of a Byzantine enamelled crown) holding a miniature labarum
Jesus of Nazareth
(
c.
5 BC/BCE –
c.
30 AD/CE), also referred to as
Jesus Christ
or simply
Jesus
, is the central figure of
Christianity
. Most
Christian denominations
venerate him as
God the Son
incarnated
and believe that he
rose from the dead
after being
crucified
.
The principal sources of information regarding Jesus are the four
canonical gospels
, and most
critical scholars
find them, at least the
Synoptic Gospels
, useful for reconstructing Jesus’ life and teachings. Some scholars believe apocryphal texts such as the
Gospel of Thomas
and the
Gospel according to the Hebrews
are also
relevant
.
Most critical historians agree that Jesus was a
Jew
who was regarded as a teacher and
healer
, that he
was baptized
by
John the Baptist
, and
was crucified
in
Jerusalem
on the orders of the
Roman Prefect
Judaea
,
Pontius Pilate
, on the charge of
sedition
against the
Roman Empire
. Critical Biblical scholars and historians have offered competing descriptions of Jesus as a self-described
Messiah
, as the leader of an apocalyptic movement, as an itinerant sage, as a charismatic healer, and as the founder of an independent religious movement. Most contemporary scholars of the
Historical Jesus
consider him to have been an independent, charismatic founder of a Jewish restoration movement, anticipating an imminent apocalypse. Other prominent scholars, however, contend that Jesus' "
Kingdom of God
" meant radical personal and social transformation instead of a future apocalypse.
Christians traditionally believe that Jesus was
born of a virgin
:529–32
performed
miracles
,
:358–59
founded
the Church
,
rose from the dead
, and
ascended
into
heaven
,
:616–20
from which he
will return
.
:1091–109
Most Christian scholars today present Jesus as the awaited Messiah promised in the
Old Testament
and as God, arguing that he fulfilled many Messianic prophecies of the
Old Testament
. The majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, one of three divine persons of a
reject Trinitarianism
Trinity
, wholly or partly, believing it to be non-scriptural.
Michael VII Doukas
or
Ducas
(
Greek
: Μιχαήλ Ζ΄ Δούκας,
Mikhaēl VII Doukas
), nicknamed
Parapinakēs
(Παραπινάκης), was
Byzantine emperor
from 1071 to 1078.
Life
Michael VII was the eldest son of
Constantine X Doukas
and
Eudokia Makrembolitissa
, and was born c. 1050, in
Constantinople
. He had been associated with his father on the throne late in 1059, together with or shortly before his newly born brother
Konstantios Doukas
. When Constantine X died in 1067, Michael VII was 17 years old and should have been able to rule by himself. He exhibited little interest in politics, and his mother Eudokia and uncle John Doukas governed the empire as effective regents.
On January 1, 1068, Eudokia married the general
Romanos Diogenes
, who now became senior co-emperor alongside Michael VII, Konstantios, and another brother,
Andronikos
. When Romanos IV was defeated and captured by
Alp Arslan
of the
Seljuk Turks
at the
Battle of Manzikert
in August 1071, Michael VII remained in the background, while the initiative was taken by his uncle
John Doukas
and his tutor
Michael Psellos
. They conspired to keep Romanos from regaining power after his release from captivity, while he himself felt under no obligation to honor the agreement that Romanus struck with the Sultan. After the dispatch of Eudokia to a monastery, Michael VII was crowned again on October 24, 1071 as senior emperor.
Although still advised by Michael Psellos and John Doukas, Michael VII became increasingly reliant on his finance minister
Nikephoritzes
. The emperor's chief interests, shaped by Psellos, were in academic pursuits, and he allowed Nikephoritzes to increase both taxation and luxury spending without properly financing the army. As an emperor he was incompetent, and surrounded by synchophantic court officials, he was blind to the empire collapsing around him. In dire straits, imperial officials resorted to property confiscations and even expropriated some of the wealth of the church. The underpaid army tended to mutiny, and the Byzantines lost
Bari
, their last possession in
Italy
, to the
Normans
of
Robert Guiscard
in 1071. Simultaneously, they faced a serious revolt in the Balkans, where they faced an attempt for the restoration of the
Bulgarian
state in the same year. Although this revolt was suppressed by the general Nikephoros Bryennios, the Byzantine Empire was unable to recover its losses in
Asia Minor
.
After Manzikert, the Byzantine government sent a new army to contain the
Seljuk Turks
under Isaac Komnenos, a brother of the future emperor
Alexios I Komnenos
, but this army was defeated and its commander captured in 1073. The problem was made worse by the desertion of the Byzantines' western mercenaries, who became the object of the next military expedition in the area, led by the
Caesar John Doukas
. This campaign also ended in failure and its commander was likewise captured by the enemy. The victorious mercenaries now forced John Doukas to stand as pretender to the throne. In this situation Michael VII's government was forced to recognize the conquests of the
Seljuk Turks
in
Asia Minor
in 1074, and to seek their support. A new army under Alexios Komnenos, reinforced by Seljuk troops sent by
Malik Shah I
, finally defeated the mercenaries and captured John Doukas in 1074.
These misfortunes caused widespread dissatisfaction, exacerbated by the devaluation of the currency, which gave the emperor his nickname
Parapinakēs
, "minus a quarter". In 1078 two generals,
Nikephoros Bryennios
and
Nikephoros Botaneiates
, simultaneously revolted in the Balkans and Anatolia, respectively. Botaneiates gained the support of the Seljuk Turks and first reached Constantinople. Michael VII resigned the throne with hardly a struggle on March 31, 1078 and retired into the monastery of
Stoudios
. He later became metropolitan archbishop of
Ephesus
and died in Constantinople in c. 1090.
Usurpers
Various usurpers attempted to overthrow Michael VII or rule parts of the empire. These included:
Nestor – A slave of
Constantine X
, he had been promoted to the rank of governor on the towns on the Danube. He rebelled in around 1073, placing himself at the head of the garrisons under his command, which were already in a state of mutiny due to an arrears in their pay. The troops were eager to plunder the Bulgarians, and he obtained the assistance of one of the chiefs of the Patzinaks before marching onto
Constantinople
. The rebels demanded the dismissal of minister Nikephoritzes, but discovering that he didn't have the numbers to attack the capital, his troops separated into smaller parties, and proceeded to plunder the countryside. Nestor remained with the Patzinaks, and retreated with them beyond the
Danube
.
Philaretos Brachamios
Caesar John Doukas
Nikephoros Bryennios
Nikephoros Botaneiates
Family
Michael VII Doukas had married
Maria of Alania
, daughter of King
Bagrat IV of Georgia
. By her he had at least one son,
Constantine Doukas
, co-emperor from c. 1075 to 1078 and from 1081 to 1087/8. He died c. 1095.
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