Lombard coinage consisted almost exclusively of golden tremisses. Initially they were copies from coins of the Byzantine exarchate of Ravenna. But gradually, the Lombard coin designs started to detach from their models. By the end of the 8th century Victoria was given up, the goddess of victory, who had hitherto characterized the Roman half and third pieces. Instead the archangel Michael was depicted, the city patron of Pavia. On the reverse of this tremissis he holds a crosier. The obverse shows the bust of King Aripert II (700-712) in Roman fashion.