Constans II, 641-668, Solidus

Constans II, Solidus, gold, reign 641–668 CE, Constantinople, 4.40 g, 20 mm. Obverse with legend DN CONSTANTINUS PP AVG; facing bust of Constans II, crowned, bearded, wearing chlamys, holding globus cruciger. Reverse VICTORIA AVGV; cross potent on three steps; CONOB in exergue. Struck at Constantinople on the solidus standard; exergual mark denoting the standard gold issue; SB 956.

Issued during the early Arab-Byzantine wars, this solidus represents the stable gold currency that underpinned imperial taxation and military pay as the empire adapted its defenses after the loss of Syria and Egypt. The long-standing Roman titulature VICTORIA AVGV combined with the cross potent reflects the Christian imperial message maintained under Constans II, who later shifted his base to Sicily in 663 to manage western operations before his assassination at Syracuse in 668.