Herakleios, Herakleios Constantine, and Heraklonas (638–41)
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A small cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Three emperors standing: in center, Herakleios, bearded (?); at left, Heraklonas, beardless; and at right, Herakleios Constantine, beardless. Each figure wears a chlamys and a crown with a cross and holds a globus cruciger in his right hand. Each emperor wears his hair long at the sides and curled, and Herakleios’s is combed downward and outward. No inscription. Wreath border.
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A small cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Three emperors standing: in center, Herakleios, bearded (?); at left, Heraklonas, beardless; and at right, Herakleios Constantine, beardless. Each figure wears a chlamys and a crown with a cross and holds a globus cruciger in his right hand. Each emperor wears his hair long at the sides and curled, and Herakleios’s is combed downward and outward. No inscription. Wreath border.
| Accession number | BZS.1958.106.551 (formerly DO 58.106.551) |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 30.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 17.7. |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The empress Martina’s eldest surviving son, Heraklonas, who was born in Lazica in 625 or 626, was raised to the rank of caesar on 1 January 632 and became an augustus in July of 638. Early coins depict a diminutive Heraklonas wearing a cap with a cross above his head. The transition from cap to crown with cross is generally considered as signalling Heraklonas’s rise to augustus. The increasing size of Heraklonas relative to Herakleios Constantine marks the passage of years.
The Mother of God’s left hand is held below Christ’s foot. Her head is disproportionally large in relation to her body. Heraklonas is shown as slightly shorter than Herakleios Constantine. The crosses decorating the crowns are similar to the ones found on BZS.1958.106.534.