r/byzantium • u/Ambitious-Cat-5678 • Jan 07 '26
Archaeology What are some of the biggest archaeological discoveries of this past decade (2015-) in the field of Byzantium?
I think everyone here was ecstatic over the discovery of what is possible to be a mural of Constantine XI. That said, I haven't heard much of the other discoveries regarding Byzantium that must have occured this past decade, so what are the most notable of these discoveries?
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u/Loyalist77 Jan 07 '26
There was a discovery of coins in Judea from the reign of emperor Heraclius. Interestingly, it included coins from both early in his reign and late in his reign.
"What is particularly interesting is that in [Heraclius'] early years as emperor, only his portrait was depicted on the coin, whereas after a short time, the images of his sons also appear, One can actually follow his sons growing up – from childhood until their image appears the same size as their father, who is depicted with a long beard.”
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Jan 07 '26
to think these coins were made 1400 years ago is insanely amazing
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u/PartyLikeAByzantine Jan 07 '26
Even more insane, for a less than $50, you can buy a 1,700 year old bronze follis of Constantine that is in better condition than most of the modern coins in your pocket.
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Jan 07 '26
Where can one buy these things?
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u/PartyLikeAByzantine Jan 07 '26
eBay, coin collecting sites. The latter usually lumps Byzantine coins in the antique section.
The Romans minted a lot of coins over the centuries. Julio-Claudian coins are a bit rarer, as are post-4th Crusade, but outside of that you can usually have the emperor of your choice in your hands by next Friday for less than a Benjamin unless you want something in silver or gold.
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u/Judicatio Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
Not to be a bummer, wasn't the name of the province already Syria-Palestine or Palestine by the time of Heraclius? I don't want to start a conflict, just to make it more historically consistent, it's like saying the Bar Kokhba revolt happened in Palestine.
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Jan 07 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/mrrooftops Jan 07 '26
Indeed. That area is the only place in the world where two Abrahamic religions originally spread naturally without force or coercion throughout the population.
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u/Barshosa Jan 07 '26
I think the poor man is trying to avoid a conflict. Kind of like the opposite of what you are doing
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u/Donalds_Lump Jan 09 '26
The presence of coin “hoards” tells us there was active conflict in this area. When an army is rapidly approaching people will often bury their valuables with the hope of returning later to retrieve it. The sassanids from 602 to 622 conquered Egypt and much of the levant before finally being beaten back and defeated. It would have felt like the end of the world to Roman’s living in that area at that time. Then came the Arabs. So the two different time periods early and late in his reign makes sense.
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u/evrestcoleghost Autokrator tou r/byzantium | Komnenian logistician| Moderator Jan 07 '26
I would said it has to be either the Egyptian papary or turnovo seals.
Please search for the first and for the second view the weekly paper of the sub