Heraclius Byzantine Follis — Emperor of the Persian and Arab Wars

Own a Coin from One of the Greatest Turning Points in Eastern Roman History

A real Byzantine bronze follis of Heraclius—struck during the reign that saw a dramatic Roman victory over Sasanian Persia followed almost immediately by the early Islamic conquests.

✓ Guaranteed Authentic
✓ Carefully Sourced and Verified
✓ 30-Day Returns

📷 Coins shown are representative examples. You will receive one authentic Byzantine bronze follis of Heraclius. Each coin is unique and will vary in strike, centering, preservation, and individual appearance.

⚔️ From the reign that witnessed the final Byzantine–Sasanian war and the beginning of the Arab conquests
🏛 Issued during a period of profound military, political, linguistic, and administrative change in the Eastern Roman Empire
🤲 A genuine artifact from one of Late Antiquity's defining reigns

Own This Piece of History

Why This Coin Matters

When Heraclius became emperor in AD 610, the Eastern Roman Empire faced an enormous military crisis.

The Sasanian Persian Empire conquered the Levant and Egypt, and Persian forces penetrated deep into Anatolia. In AD 614, Jerusalem fell and the relic venerated as the True Cross was carried into Persian territory. Avars and Slavs also threatened the Balkans and Constantinople.

Heraclius eventually led a remarkable counteroffensive. Campaigning deep in Sasanian territory, Roman forces helped bring about a political and military collapse in Persia. By AD 628, the war ended and the territories conquered by the Sasanians were restored to Roman control.

The victory was short-lived.

Within only a few years, Arab Muslim armies began conquering Roman provinces in the Near East. The Byzantine defeat at Yarmouk in AD 636 was followed by the loss of much of the Levant, and Egypt soon followed. These conquests permanently transformed the eastern Mediterranean and Near East.

Heraclius's reign is often treated as a dividing line between Late Roman and medieval Byzantine history, but that transition was gradual. The people and government of Constantinople still understood themselves as Roman. Greek became increasingly dominant in administration, and the empire's institutions adapted to enormous territorial and military changes.

Older historical writing sometimes credited Heraclius personally with creating the Byzantine theme system. Modern scholarship is much more cautious: the themes developed over time, especially in the decades after Heraclius, and should not be presented as a single reform he introduced.

This authentic bronze follis circulated during those extraordinary decades. Depending on type, the obverse may depict Heraclius with members of his dynasty, while the reverse commonly carries the large M indicating forty nummi, often with Christian symbols.

More than fourteen centuries later, the coin remains a tangible connection to an emperor whose reign witnessed both spectacular recovery and irreversible transformation.

Perfect For

• Collectors of Byzantine and late Roman coinage
• History lovers fascinated by the Byzantine–Sasanian Wars and the rise of Islam
• Collectors of early medieval and Christian history
• First-time Byzantine coin collectors
• Anyone interested in major turning points in world history

What You'll Receive

• One authentic Byzantine bronze follis of Heraclius
• Civilization: Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire
• Ruler: Heraclius (AD 610–641)
• Denomination: AE Follis (40 Nummi)
• Guaranteed authentic
• Representative example of the type (each coin is unique)

Buy with Confidence

• Guaranteed authentic ancient coin
• Carefully sourced and verified
• 30-day return policy
• Secure shipping from the U.S.

Learn More

Continue the story in the Kinzer Coins Journal: Heraclius: The Emperor Who Saved Rome's Eastern Empire.