Coin

Art Historical Context

This humble copper coin, minted before A.H. 131 (749 CE), offers a tangible glimpse into the early Islamic world. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Islamic Art department, it exemplifies the practical artistry of ancient numismatics, where everyday metalwork doubled as a canvas for authority and identity. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1939, such coins—known as *fals*—were the backbone of commerce across the vast Umayyad Caliphate, circulating from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Dating to the formative decades of Islam, before the Abbasid Revolution reshaped governance, this pi...