Coins of the Dark Ages (400-800 AD), Roman Nummus 476-493 n. Chr. (AE4) of Empress Zenonis (476-493 CE), Rome mint, Roman Empire

Diademed bust right / Monogram of Zenonis. 10mm, 1.09 grams. Constantinople mint. MIRB 14; DOCLR 627

Aelia Zenonis was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Zeno and empress consort during his turbulent reign in the late 5th century. Of Isaurian origin, like her husband, she was closely tied to the political fortunes of Zeno during his struggles against internal usurpers and aristocratic opposition in Constantinople. Zenonis is mainly known through limited historical references, but she likely played a supporting role in court politics during a period marked by instability, the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and religious controversy in the Eastern Empire.