Witiza Triens

This gold coin matches those minted by Witiza, when he was sole ruler in Gerunda (Girona) between 702 and 710 CE. He was a controversial king whose policies granted a lot of concessions to the nobility, which led to serious losses for the royal treasury (Hacienda Real). This was reflected in the drastic reduction in weight of these coins. The triens (trientes in the plural) was equivalent to a third of a gold solidus. Three trientes—a third of someone's total salary—would be required to cover the cost of an average person's food for a year. The Visigoth monetary system was solely based on the issue of gold coins, and was therefore of very high value. This suggests that the currency was socially restricted and not used for commercial trade. Instead, it was used as an object of power and prestige, as well to pay the troops and make offerings to the church.