Coin

Art Historical Context

This copper coin, minted between 758 and 768 CE, offers a glimpse into the earlyid Caliphate, a transformative era in Islamic history. Produced during the reign of Caliph al-Mansur (r. 754–775), who founded Baghdad as the new imperial capital in 762, it reflects the dynasty's shift from Umayyad rule. As a fulus—a common low-denomination coin—its unassuming copper medium was ideal for everyday transactions across a vast empire stretching from Spain to Central Asia. In the Department of Islamic Art, this piece exemplifies the evolution of Islamic numismatics. Early Abbasid coins abandoned figur...