Solidus of Heraclius and Heraclius Constantine
dd HERA- -CONST PP AV, facing busts of Heraclius, with mustache, short beard, and curved hair at ears, on left, and Heraclius Constantine (bust much smaller), beardless on right, both wearing chlamys and simple crown with cross; cross between their heads / VICTORIA (AV)GU, officina E; letter N in right field; cross potent on four steps; mintmark (CO)NOB.
Heraclius (Greek: Ἡράκλειος), r. 610-41, is depicted with his eldest son, Heraclius Constantine (Greek: Ἡράκλειος νέος Κωνσταντῖνος), r. 641, whose mother was Eudokia, the first wife of Heraclius. The cross potent on four steps is a poignant image, given that Heraclius' successfully negotiated the return of the captured True Cross from the Persians—although the motif appears as early as Tiberius II Constantine (578-582), and is thought to represent the large jeweled cross set up on Golgotha at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem by Theodosius II (r. 408-450).
Provenience: CN 270, Found in Room H along with other coins and jewelry of the Our Lady Monastery, Beth Shean, 1930
Date: 613/14–630 or later C.E.
Length: 17.5mm
Weight: AV; 4.38 g
Object Number: 31-50-400 (Field No. 30-10-372)
Further Reading:
Fitzgerald, Gerald M. 1939. A Sixth Century Monastery at Beth-Shan. Plate 4, Figs. 1-2.
Israeli, Yael and David Mevorah. 2000. Cradle of Christianity. Fig. 95.
CN 270, This object was found in Room H along with other coins and jewelry of the Our Lady Monastery, Beth Shean, 1930. Plan from Fitzgerald, Gerald M. 1939. A Sixth Century Monastery at Beth-Shan, plate II.