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Dec 05 Editorial 29/11/05 4:27 pm Page 371An Unpublished Tetarteron and a Hoardof Coins of Isaac Comnenus of Cyprus(A.D. 1184-1191)S. Bendallwritten in full. The I is surmounted by two pellets, a form of theletter that does not reappear on the coinage until it was usedninety years and more later in sigla on the hyperpyra ofAndronicus II and of Andronicus II and Michael IX. The onlyprevious tetarteron bearing a monogram had been that ofManuel I (DOC IV, 20) which Hendy dated to c. 1143-1152. Onthis the letters of the monogram, ΜΛΔΠΚ(Manuel, Despot andKomnenos), are arranged in the order used in making the sign ofthe cross in the Orthodox church but this is certainly not the casewith the monogram on this new coin.In February and May 1989 the writer published a new type ofelectrum trachy of Isaac of Cyprus and discussed briefly the entirecoinage of this emperor 4 . In 1969 Hendy had listed seven typesfor Isaac attributing two issues to the main mint, possibly Nicosia,and a single issue to a secondary mint which he suggested mightbe Limassol or Famagusta 5 . There now appear to be possibly 16different types for the reign of which Hendy listed 13 in DOC IV 6as did the writer in both his 1989 articles.Byzantine Cyprus had previously had only a single mint underHeraclius 7 but Isaac had two mints as the Lusignans did later, butpossibly not the same two mints. In DOC IV Hendy attributedthree issues to the main mint, possibly Nicosia, and the singlesecondary mint, possibly Limassol or Famagusta, striking twoissues which can be deduced from the fact that tetartera ofHendy’s original secondary mint A are found overstruck ontetartera which he had listed as uncertain issues in 1969 (DO 9over 10). It is obvious that they are successive issues from a singlesecondary mint 8 , but what mint this might have been isuncertain.In 2002 the writer discussed a rare coin with a monogram on thereverse, attributing it to Richard I Lion-heart, suggesting that itwas issued in Cyprus while Richard ruled there briefly in mid-1191 1 . In the addendum of that article the writer mentioned thatthere existed what he thought was a unique tetarteron of Isaac ofCyprus with a monogrammatic reverse in a Cypriot collection. Atthat time the writer had only a very dark photocopy of aphotograph of this coin which was too poor to publish 2 .Another specimen of this rare tetarteron has recently appeared(fig. 1) and the writer has been able to copy the originalphotograph of the earlier specimen (fig. 2). Both coins are in goodcondition and struck from different dies and illustrated hereslightly larger than twice actual size 3 .Obv. [ ] BOH - Θ H.Rev. Monogram as fig. 3.Die axes. 6 o’clock; Wt. (fig 1) 1.91 gm.The obverse legend is most unusual and is surely an abbreviationof ‘Kyrie Boethei’, ‘Lord protect’. The first H appears to the right ofthe top of Isaac’s sceptre and to the left of his head. Before BOthere appears to be room for only two letters, presumably KE, acommon abbreviation of ‘Kyrie’. With this form of obverse legendthe monogram should be composed of the letters that form thename and title of Isaac. The letters Δ (at the mid-point of thelower part of the vertical line), Π and Τ, abbreviating the title‘Despot’, are clear as are the I and K of ‘Isaakios’. It is possible thatthe letter above the left side of the horizantal line could be an Abut what the semicircle beside it to the left but below the linemight be is uncertain. It is possible but unlikely that it representsa simplified ω, since this letter is not used in the spelling of eitherIsaac’s name or title. It can hardly represent the greek S, writtenas C, which would appear four times in Isaac’s name and title ifFigure 4Mints.Cyprus was predominantly rural with few urban centres, noneof which were walled before the Lusignan period 9 . In 1196 theLatin Church was established with the archbishopric at Nicosiaand suffragans at Paphos, Limassol and Famagusta 10 , one ofwhich was presumably the secondary Lusignan mint. Distancesare comparatively short. Limassol is only slightly more than 40miles from Nicosia as the crow flies, Famagusta slightly less whileKyrenia is only 16 miles to the north of Nicosia. Paphos has alsobeen suggested. (see map, figure 4).Nicosia appears to have been the capital at the time and everyauthority has suggested it as the likely primary mint. It certainlyappears to have been so in the Lusignan period although GeorgeJeffery seems to have considered the place of little importanceunder Isaac 11 although the emperor retreated to the castle atNicosia after his initial defeat by Richard I.Limassol or Amathos. Limassol, today Lemessos and possiblyNeapolis/Theodosias in the Roman/early Byzantine period isdescribed as being one of several new cities founded in the 11th -12th centuries near deserted sites of antiquity (in this caseAmathos) 12 . It only seems to have been of modest importanceuntil the fall of the Crusader state, being possibly only a largevillage in the Byzantine period although the site of a fort. It was,however, a Latin bishopric from 1196.DECEMBER 2005 371