Solidus of Empress Aelia Pulcheria

Period Byzantine Empire (Byzantine, 395 CE-1453 CE)

Place of OriginTurkey, Istanbul

Date414-453

Dimensions7/8 × 1/16 in. (22mm, 0.1 cm)

Mediumgold

ClassificationMetalwork

Credit LineGift of Mrs. George E. Pomeroy

Object number

1924.145

Not on View

DescriptionA gold solidus (4.48 g, 22 mm) struck in Constantinople. Obverse: Pearl-diademed and draped bust of Aelia Pulcheria facing right. She wears a necklace and earring, and the Hand of God reaches down from above to crown her. Legend: AEL PVLCHERIA AVG. Reverse: Victory seated right on a cuirass, supporting a shield on her left knee and inscribing a Christogram (Chi-Rho) upon it. A star appears in the left field. Exergue: CONOB. Legend: SALVS REIPVBLICAE.

Label TextThis gold coin depicts Aelia Pulcheria, one of the most powerful women in the late Roman world. The sister of Emperor Theodosius II, she held the rank of Augusta (Empress) and effectively ruled the Eastern Empire for decades. The portrait emphasizes her divine right to rule, showing the Hand of God reaching down to crown her. On the reverse, the ancient pagan figure of Victory is reimagined for a Christian empire: she inscribes a shield not with scenes of battle, but with the Chi-Rho, the monogram of Jesus Christ. This fusion of Roman military imagery and Christian symbolism announced the "Salvation of the Republic" (Salus Reipublicae) under the protection of the Church.