Coin

Unknown Artist

819–1005

Coin by Unknown Artist

Medium

Copper

Classification

Coins

Department

Islamic Art

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Rogers Fund, 1939

Accession Number

39.40.127.398

Art Historical Context

This copper coin, dating from 819 to 1005 CE, offers a tangible glimpse into the vibrant world of the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate and its successor states. Minted during a period of intellectual and economic flourishing—often called Islam's Golden Age—these coins circulated across a vast empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia. As everyday currency, they facilitated trade in bustling markets from Baghdad to Samarkand, embodying the interconnectedness of medieval Islamic civilization. Crafted in copper, a common medium for smaller denominations like the *fals*, this coin exemplifies the pre...

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