Follis of the Byzantine Emperor Leo V, "the Armenian," and his son Constantine (Augustus). Syracuse (Sicily), 813–820.

Follis of the Byzantine Emperor Leo V, "the Armenian," and his son Constantine (Augustus). Syracuse (Sicily), 813–820.
Bronze.
Measurements: 19 mm. Weight: 3.08 g.
Provenance: Family legacy of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection formed from the 1950s by successive generations of the family, through acquisitions in European galleries and auction houses.

Obverse: Frontal bust of Leo V, wearing a crown and a lorus, with a cross on the left and a star on the right. Reverse: Frontal bust of Constantine V, wearing a chlamys and holding a cross-topped orb. References: SEAR 1636
The imperial loros was an item of clothing worn by the Byzantine emperor. It was a wide band embroidered in gold and richly decorated that was draped over the dalmatic around the Byzantine emperor’s shoulders and torso. Leo V decided to return to the iconoclastic policy of the early emperors. In 814, he ordered the removal of the images from the Basilica of Hagia Sophia, and the synod of 815 reestablished iconoclasm, which—unlike the first iconoclastic period—met with little opposition at first.