Emperor Justinian and his Attendants, 547 CE, San Vitale Basilica, Ravenna, Italy. This depiction clearly shows wealth, and of course, lots of gold!
"Throughout this whole period the Byzantine currency, the nomisma, was the leading currency in the Mediterranean world. It was a stable currency ever since the founding of Constantinople. Its importance shows how important Byzantium was in economics and finance. Constantinople was the city where people of every religion and nationality lived next to one another, all in their own quarters and with their own social structures. Taxes for foreign traders were just the same as for the inhabitants. This was unique in the world of the middle ages." Source: Livius, http://www.ancient.eu.com/Byzantine_Empire/
A close-up of the ruler Romanus II, who assumed the Byzantine throne at the age of 21.
Byzantine Coinage
“Coins were the most widespread medium for the dissemination of a ruler’s portrait to his or her subjects and beyond the Empire’s frontier. “
Dumbarton Oaks 2014
http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins
“Coins were the most widespread medium for the dissemination of a ruler’s portrait to his or her subjects and beyond the Empire’s frontier. “
Dumbarton Oaks 2014
http://www.doaks.org/museum/online-exhibitions/byzantine-emperors-on-coins
"This girdle contains thirteen coins, including one from the reign of Theodosius II (408–50) and four from the brief joint rule in 527 of Justin I (r. 527–65) and Justinian I. Old coins were frequently used for jewelry, since under later rulers their historic value and their worth in gold often exceeded their worth as currency. All the coins and medallions are stamped CONOB, an abbreviation for Constantinopolis obryzum ("pure gold of Constantinople"), indicating that they were minted in the capital." (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)