After Tiberius' death, two different individuals impersonated him, with one, named Bashir, going on to be hosted by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad caliph, before his lie was discovered and he was crucified.

[5][6] In 711, the Theme of Cherson rebelled against Justinian II, led by an exiled general by the name of Bardanes.

Upon hearing the news of his death, Anastasia, Justinian's mother, took Tiberius, at this time six years old, to St. Mary's Church in Blachernae, for sanctuary.

Sulayman immediately wrote to his father, Hisham, who instructed him to dress the false Tiberius in royal clothes and to have him pass through all major cities in procession.

Bashir stayed with Hisham, sending ambassadors to Constantinople to proclaim that Tiberius was still alive, and allied with the Umayyad.

During Justinian II's first reign (686–695), the first coins to bear a depiction of Jesus Christ on the obverse were minted.

On the reverse, Tiberius and Justinian II both wear crowns, loros, and chlamys, and hold cross potents in their hands.