Infopanel 22

Byzantine coin turned into a pendant

Origin: Constantinople (Istanbul), Byzantine mint (coin issue of Basil II and Constantine VIII)
Dated: AD 976–1025 (coin issue)
Manufacture: Byzantine silver coin; made into a pendant by riveting on a loop; a nearby hole traces earlier reworking  

Byzantine coinage carried imperial imagery and Christian iconography from the eastern Mediterranean into northern Europe. In Scandinavia, such coins were frequently modified for suspension - made into pendants, amulets, or necklace elements - transforming currency into visible status display.

This example preserves the conversion in metal: a loop riveted to the coin, plus a second hole that records an earlier attempt at reworking the piece for wear.  

Distance:
• Direct: ~1,999 km (Istanbul→Gotland/Väskinde) or ~2,186 km (Istanbul→Birka).
• Route estimate (“Varangians to Greeks” corridor to the Baltic): ~2,700–2,900 km (depending on end-point in Scandinavia).