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Justinian I, traditionally known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565 AD. His legacy is formidable. He realized the partial recovery of the long lost western Empire from the Vandals, Ostrogoths, the Visigoths and the Tzani.
By order of Justinian a new basis for civil jurisprudence, the Corpus Juris Civilis or “Code of Justinian” was developed. After a revival in the Middle Ages, this Roman code established a basis of civil law which continues to the present day in many states.
The devastation resulting from the outbreak of bubonic plague in the 542 AD led to a territorial decline and general loss of the empire’s splendor well before the end of Justinian’s reign.
The AV solidus has an obverse depiction of Justinian. The reverse shows an angel standing with a Tau-Rho cross, or staurogram, in reference to Jesus’ crucifixion in right hand and a globus cruciger in left hand symbolizing Christ’s dominion over the world.