Archaeology: Gold coin dating from 6th century Eastern Roman emperor Justin II found in Bulgaria

A gold coin said to date from the time of Eastern Roman emperor Justin II, who ruled from 565 to 578 CE, has been found in the remains of the early Byzantine fortress Tuida, according to the Sliven Regional Historical Museum.

Tuida is on the Hislarlaka hill in the north-eastern part of the Bulgarian town of Sliven and was part of the Stara Planina fortification system, which had an extremely important role in the defence of the Roman Empire, later the early Byzantine Empire, as well as mediaeval Bulgaria.

The gold coin initially was thought to date from the time of Emperor Justinian I, who ruled from 527 to 565, but after cleaning and thorough examination, it was established that it was from the time of his nephew and successor as emperor, Justin II, the Sliven Regional Historical Museum said in a Facebook post on June 24.

The museum said that this was the fourth gold coin discovered at the Tuida fortress site.

During this archaeological season, a total of 23 coins from the 2nd-3rd centuries to the 12th-13th centuries have been discovered, the museum said.

The museum said that the coin was extremely rare and according to some researchers, was minted in the city of Theupolis, today’s Antioch in Türkiye.

The obverse shows the bust of Emperor Justin facing forward, holding a globe with Victoria on it and the inscription D N IVSTINVS P P AVG; on the reverse, the inscription reads VICTORIA AVGGG ΘS, with the last two letters indicating the name of the mint.

(Photo: Sliven Regional Historical Museum)