This study was set out to explore the uniqueness of the Michael coin in the Byzantine Coinage with
both sides' iconography, not only to expose some innovations in terms of style and iconographic
representation in the 13th century art, but also to show Emperor Michael's purpose to create a new
Bzyantine Empire, as its most glorious days. This study has also sought to know what the meaning of
the coin was for Byzantines and Byzantine Empires, and besides the commercial purpose of these
coins, to what kind of purposes they were used by Emperor Michael throughout the Byzantine
Empire. This study has also observed the characteristics of the Virgin, which were represented by the gesture or relationship with the capital, Constantinople. The meanings of this iconography were
evaluated by analysing the thinking of the different ranking people from poor to aristocrat, in the
Byzantine empire. With evaluation of this iconography from the perspective of people who were in different positions in this state, the power of the images was observed. According to beliefs of the
Byzantines, why did they think the city walls were unshakable? Why was their Holy City not taken by
fighting? This study also sought a new way to interpret Byzantine Coins' iconographies, as frescoes
cycles or paintings, with a structure which was created by Panosky in 1939. This three-steps system
will help coins iconophers, not only formal design but also iconographic and iconologic meanings of
the coins to be combined in one study. |