Byzantine coins of the 11th century from China

Western scholars first discovered imitations of the Eastern Roman gold coins in China in the late 19th century. Since then, Byzantine gold coins repeatedly attracted attention of scholars as evidence of the ties between China and the Mediterranean world. Due to comprehensive and systematic development of archaeology after 1949, Byzantine gold coins or their imitations were discovered in many northern and western regions of China, proving again the economic and cultural exchange with the Eastern Roman Empire. Six gold Middle Byzantine coins deserve special attention. Vast majority of the solidi discovered in China mainly corresponded to the chronological range of the 5th-7th centuries. Archaeological sites in China have no finds of coins dated to the Middle or Late Byzantine periods. This article discusses three 11th-century coins from the collection of the Chinese Museum of Numismatics. It should be kept in mind that artifacts could both be discovered in China or brought from abroad in recent times. In the context of "the ambassadors from the Fulin Country” (presumably from Emperor Michael Doukas) to the court of the Song rulers, which were mentioned in narrative sources, it can be assumed that the coin described in the article was an original find from China.