Herakleios, Herakleios Constantine, and Heraklonas (638–641)
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ, who is framed by an oval mandorla, before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A small, thick cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Three emperors standing: in center, Herakleios, bearded; at left, Heraklonas, beardless; and at right, Herakleios Constantine, beardless. Each figure wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys and holds a globus cruciger in his right hand (although Heraklonas’s is not visible). Each emperor wears his hair long at the sides and curled. No inscription. Wreath border.
Obverse
The Mother of God standing, wearing a chiton and maphorion, and holding Christ, who is framed by an oval mandorla, before her. Her left leg is bent at the knee. A small, thick cross potent at left and right. Wreath border.
Reverse
Three emperors standing: in center, Herakleios, bearded; at left, Heraklonas, beardless; and at right, Herakleios Constantine, beardless. Each figure wears a crown with a cross and a chlamys and holds a globus cruciger in his right hand (although Heraklonas’s is not visible). Each emperor wears his hair long at the sides and curled. No inscription. Wreath border.
| Accession number | BZS.1951.31.5.1635 |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 29.0 mm |
| Previous Editions | DO Seals 6, no. 17.18. |
| Credit Line | Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore. |
Bibliography
- Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Vol. 6, Emperors, Patriarchs of Constantinople, Addenda (Open in Zotero)
Commentary
The empress Martina’s eldest surviving son, Heraklonas, who was born in Lazica in 625 or 626, was raised to the rank of caesar on 1 January 632 and became an augustus in July of 638. Early coins depict a diminutive Heraklonas wearing a cap with a cross above his head. The transition from cap to crown with cross is generally considered as signalling Heraklonas’s rise to augustus. The increasing size of Heraklonas relative to Herakleios Constantine marks the passage of years.
The Mother of God's chiton widens below the waist. Heraklonas, whose head seems to be turned slightly to the left, is the same size as Herakleios Constantine.