Byzantine miliaresion used as a pendant

A Byzantine silver coin, miliaresion, of Basil II and his brother Constantine VIII, struck in Constantinople (977–989). On the front of the coin is a cross, on the left side of which is a crowned and bearded Basil II in a gem-decorated outfit, and on the right side a crowned Constantine VIII wearing a cloak. On the back, there is text (the names of the two rulers). Basil II was the Byzantine Emperor and ruled the empire with his brother until his death in 1025. The coin was used as a pendant, and both the loop and the rivet used for fastening have been preserved well. Byzantine coins are rare in the Finnish find material, and most of them are perforated, which suggests that miliaresions have mainly been used here as jewellery.

The coin was found in a hoard in Anttila, Lieto, in 1897. Some 900 Viking Age coins and a few pieces of jewellery had been hidden inside a clay vessel. Most of the coins (more than 700 coins) were German pennies, but there were also several English coins and some Danish, Islamic and Irish coins, for example. The objects had been hidden sometime after 1060.