Movers, Shakers and Stabilizers
THEODOSIUS II
Roman Empire
View Image Gallery >
Coin Details
| Origin/Country: |
ANCIENT - EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE (4th CENT AD - 5th CENT AD) EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE Theodosius II, AD 402-450 |
| Item Description: |
AV Solidus rv Constantinopolis std. obv facing military bust |
| Full Grade: |
NGC MS Strike: 5/5 Surface: 5/5 |
| Owner: |
karl49 |
Owner Comments:
Theodosius II, aka Theodosius the Younger and Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Byzantine emperor from 408 to 450. Although he died young at the age of 49 due to an equestrian accident, his reign was the longest in Roman history. Not surprisingly, he became Emperor at the youngest age in history. He has been described as a "gentle man", a devout Christian and an intellectual.
He was responsible for the founding of the University of Constantinople in 425 AD. Earlier he had constructed an impregnable wall around the city. He embarked on a project to create a fully formalized codification of law, and, although the work was incomplete, the effort was significant and became the basis for Justinian’s Corpus Juris Civilis in the 6th Century.
His legacy has been that of an ineffectual ruler dominated by his sisters and his ministerial eunuchs. However, recent scholarly works have elevated the value of his reign on a number of fronts.