AFRICA & BYZANTIUM EXHIBIT

"I recently took some photos of coins from an exhibit I saw at the Cleveland Museum of Art called Africa & Byzantium -- I thought readers may be interested in this. The same exhibit was also at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

"Some images are of a Byzantine-era gold necklace inlaid with a large gold medallion and several gold solidi."

Neck rings, such as this imposing gold example, are cited in early sources as playing a role both in the glorification of military heroes and in coronation ceremonies. This pectoral necklace is composed of a plain, hollow neck ring attached to a frame set with a large central medallion flanked by coins and two small decorative disks. Although it was found in Egypt, the pectoral is believed to have been made in Constantinople, since a personification of that city is depicted on the reverse of the central medallion. The front of the medallion and the smaller coins depict Byzantine emperors. The two ribbed rings at the pectoral's lower edge once held a large medallion of the emperor Theodosius I. This imperial imagery suggests that the pectoral is composed of a collection of military trophies that once belonged to a distinguished general or a member of the imperial court.

"I found it impossible to take clear photos of the individual coin reverses in the necklace because of the protective glass case and because the coins are embedded with a deep inset that creates a strong shadow. However, it could be a good puzzle for readers to identify the solidi included in the necklace.

"There are pictures and descriptions of Aksumite coinage, which I am curious about because how often do you see Aksumite coinage? Unfortunately, the coins are so small that the museum display makes it difficult to see and appreciate the designs of the individual coins.

"I found a "key" to the coins on the wall, which was helpful in determining the catalog details of each type, but it would have been helpful if photo enlargements were included with it.

"There are also gold Islamic coins from the 700s-800s in North Africa. Again, like the Aksumite coinage, these were fascinating because I wasn't familiar with them, but they're so small I did the best I could with the photos.

"An overview of the exhibit can be found on the Metropolitan Museum of Art website here:
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/africa-byzantium

"And at the Cleveland Museum of Art website here:
https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/africa-byzantium "