Anastasius I Dicorus was a long time civil servant who at the age of 61 became emperor at the urging of Ariadne, the wife of the previous emperor Zeno. Ariadne also married Anastasius shortly thereafter. Anastasius was nicknamed Diocus (two-pupils) because of an eye condition called heterochromia where there is a variation in color, in this case, his eyes, one being black and the other blue. Considered a good ruler, Anastasius is best known for his reforms on coinage. With his reign came stability and an emphasis on using coin versus goods for payments. There was a stable system put in place of gold and copper coinage. Most notably the large follis coinage started under Anastasius and became prolific thereafter.