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Lepton - Wazena
| Issuer | Aksumite Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 550-570 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Lepton |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Draped bust of King Wazena facing right, head covered with an ornamented headcloth decorated at the front. The king holds a grain ear before him, a motif emblematic of royal and agricultural authority. The effigy is rendered in the characteristic flat, stylised manner of late Aksumite coinage. A legend in Ge'ez script appears in the field, reading 'King WZN'. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | (Translation: 'King WZN'.) |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The wazena was the Aksumite unit of weight, and its application as a coin denomination reflects the kingdom's sophisticated approach to bronze coinage during the sixth century — a period when Aksum maintained active Red Sea trade networks connecting the Mediterranean world to South Arabia and India. Bronze issues of this size were the everyday currency of that commerce, circulating well below the gold and silver denominations reserved for prestige and tribute.
Aksumite bronze from this period is frequently found in heavily corroded or fragmentary condition, a consequence of the Ethiopian highland burial environment.