Constans II AV Tremissis Syracuse mint

This gold tremissis bears witness to a unique episode in Byzantine history: the transfer of the imperial court from Constantinople to Syracuse in 663 by Emperor Constans II. By making Sicily his capital, the Emperor sought to stabilize the Western territories against Arab expansion and the Lombard threat in Italy. This coin (reference DO.175a) illustrates the major strategic role of the Syracuse mint during the 7th century. It embodies the resistance of an Empire desperately attempting to safeguard its hegemony in the central Mediterranean