An extremely rare 1,00-year-old Byzantine gold coin with the “face of Jesus” was unearthed by a metal detectorist in the mountains of Norway. (See the images at the bottom of the story.)
The coin, which was first introduced around AD 960, depicts Jesus holding a Bible on one side and the images of Basil II and Constantine VII, brothers who ruled the Byzantine Empire.
The “histamenon nomisma,” or standard coin, has two inscriptions on it:
One in Latin that says, “Jesus Christ, King of those who reign,” and one in Greek that says, “Basil and Constantine, emperors of the Romans.”
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Archeologists believe the Jesus coin was minted between 977 and 1025, based on the design element commonly used during that time period: the three dotted lines on the coin’s border.
The site will be investigated next year to help figure out how the coin wound up on the mountain.
BELOW ARE IMAGES OF THE COIN:
On one side of the coin we see Christ holding the Bible. | Photographer: Martine Kaspersen, Innlandet County Municipality.
On the other side of the coin, the emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII are probably depicted. | Photographer: Martine Kaspersen, Innlandet County Municipality.
Christ is depicted on one side of the coin. | Photographer: Martine Kaspersen, Innlandet County Municipality.
It is probably the emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII who are depicted here. | Photographer: Martine Kaspersen, Innlandet County Municipality.
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