BYZANTINE EMPIRE: Basil I, the Macedonian, 867-886, EL semissis (1.21g), Syracuse, S-1714/15, bust of Basil I // bust of Constantine; strike 4/5, surface 4/5, NGC graded AU, ex Choudhury Collection. Syracuse was conquered by the Aghlabid Arabs in 878, remaining under Muslim control for nearly 200 years.