BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Justinian I the Great
AD 527-565
AE Decanummium (10 Nummi). 5.55g, 22.8mm
MINTED: Antioch (Theoupolis) mint, RY 24 (AD 550/1)
REF: Sear Byzantine 239
OBVERSE: DN IVSTINIANVS PP AVG, helmeted, cuirassed bust facing, holding cross on globe and long sceptre, cross to right.
REVERSE: Large I; ANNO to left, cross above, XXIIII, THEUP below.
 
Notes:
Somewhat rough dark green patina, with some scattered pitting. 
 
Historical Notes:
Justinian's significance in history was due in large part to two people - his accomplished general Belisarius, and his intelligent and ambitious wife Theodora, a former actress and prostitute.  It was Theodora's steely nerves and refusal to flee Constantinople that saved Justinian's reign when the Nika riots broke out in 532, destroying half the city and resulting in the death of thousands.  And it was Belisarius's loyalty and military genius that allowed the Byzantine Empire to reclaim much of Italy and the west from the Goths, extending the borders of the empire to Spain in the west and Mesopotamia in the east.  Another important achievement under Justinian was the corpus iuris civilis, a comprehensive codification of all Roman law which would go on to form the basis of the legal code for numerous European nations.