Scyphate is a term frequently used in numismatics to refer to the concave or "cup-shaped" Byzantine coins of the 11th–14th centuries.
This usage emerged in the premodern era[1] and was solidified by scholars of the 19th century, when the term scyphatus, attested in south Italian documents of the 11th and 12th centuries, was erroneously interpreted as deriving from the Greek word skyphos (σκύφος, "cup"). In reality, the term probably derives from the Arabic word shafah, "edge, rim", and refers to the distinctive and conspicuous border of the early histamena gold coins.[2] Due to this misunderstanding, the term "scyphate" has been widely applied to the concave gold, silver, and copper coins of the late Byzantine Empire and the foreign issues imitating it. These coins are more properly designated as trachea (singular: trachy, from Greek τραχύ, "rough, uneven").[3]
^Biscioni, Antonio Maria (1723). Prose di Dante Alighieri e di messer Gio. Boccacci (in Italian). per Gio. Gaetano Tartini, e Santi Franchi. p. 362.
^Grierson, Philip. "Nummi scyphati. The Story of a Misunderstanding". The Numismatic Chronicle. 11: 253–260 – via JSTOR.
^Grierson, Philip (1999). Byzantine Coinage (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Trustees for Harvard University. ISBN 0-88402-274-9.
Scyphate is a term frequently used in numismatics to refer to the concave or "cup-shaped" Byzantine coins of the 11th–14th centuries. This usage emerged...
initially meant "duke's coin" or a "duchy's coin". The first issue of scyphate billon coins modelled on Byzantine trachea was made by King Roger II of...
insignificant, as Italian money became the predominant circulating coinage. These scyphate (cup-shaped) coins known as trachy were issued in both electrum (debased...
the original solidus, becoming wider and thinner, as well as concave (scyphate) in form. Later usually shortened to stamenon (Greek: στάμενον), it was...
obverse and an inscription forming the reverse. Later, the cup-shaped (or 'scyphate') trachy were issued, but the silver content of these rapidly declined...
niello interlace pattern, 7th century, gold, British Museum Byzantine scyphate, 1059–1067, gold, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, USA Pre-Columbian...
to 20 mm for the original solidus) and had acquired a slightly concave (scyphate) form. However, starting with Michael IV (r. 1034–1041), who was a former...
The basilikon was of high-grade silver (0.920), flat and not concave (scyphate) as other Byzantine coins, weighing 2.2 grams and officially traded at...
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have been minted in the vicinity of Kabul. The hoard also contained 12 scyphate gold dinars of the Kidarites, which might have circulated at the same time...
Trebizond whose coins have survived. A number of bronze trachea (also called scyphates) have been identified as having been struck during his reign. These bear...
issue coins on the Kushan model. The gold coins of Peroz tended to be scyphate and to imitate the design of Kushan ruler Vasudeva I. They were often minted...
frequently used as an indicator of economic activity. Although some copper scyphates have been identified as coming from Andronikos I Gidos' mint, according...
The 2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coin is the first scyphate coinage ever produced by the U.S. Mint, as authorized by Section 3(d) of...
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