Solidus (Coin) of Basil I with Christ Enthroned

The imagery of Byzantine coins, as well as their use—or not—of religious imagery, reflects the different attitudes toward representation of divine figures as a result of the Iconoclastic (from the Greek eikon, or image, and klao, to break) Controversy, a fierce debate among Byzantine theologians over the appropriate role of images in religious worship that raged in Byzantium for over 100 years from about 730 to 843.

In a radical departure from the numismatic imagery of iconoclast emperors, the coin of Basil I (reigned 867-886) has an image of Christ Enthroned on its front, along with an inscription proclaiming the heavenly ruler “King of Kings.”