From the 4th to the 11th centuries, "solidi" were minted mostly at the Constantinopolitan Mint but also in Thessalonica, Trier, Rome, Milan, Ravenna, Syracuse, Alexandria, Carthage, Jerusalem and other cities. During the 8th and 9th centuries the Syracuse mint produced a large number of "solidi" that failed to meet the specifications of the coins produced by the imperial mint in Constantinople. The Syracuse "solidi" were generally lighter (about 3.8g) and only 19k fine (79% pure). Solidi produced in Western Europe outside direct Byzantine control often carried the image of the reigning Emperor in Constantinople until the sixth century.