Coin

Art Historical Context

This modest copper coin, dating to around 770 AD, offers a tangible glimpse into the early Islamic world during the Abbasid Caliphate's formative years. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1939 and housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department, it exemplifies the practical artistry of ancient numismatics. Struck from durable copper, such coins—known as *fals*—served everyday transactions in bustling markets from Baghdad to beyond, bridging trade across a vast empire. In the 8th century, Islamic coinage marked a revolutionary shift from pre-Islamic Byzantine and Sasanian mo...