Coin
Unknown Artist
9th–11th century
Medium
Copper
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.608
Art Historical Context
This copper coin, dating to the 9th–11th century, hails from the Islamic world during the Abbasid Caliph's expansive era—a time of remarkable cultural and economic flourishing across the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond Minted as a practical everyday currency known as a *fals*, it exemplifies the sophisticated monetary systems that fueled trade along the Silk Road and Indian Ocean routes, connecting distant regions through commerce and cultural exchange. Crafted from durable copper, the coin likely features finely engraved Arabic inscriptions rather than figurative imagery, adhering to I...