Coin
Unknown Artist
dated A.H. 164/ 780 CE
Medium
Copper
Classification
Coins
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1939
Accession Number
39.40.127.639
Art Historical Context
This copper coin, dated A.H. 164 (corresponding to 780 CE offers a tangible glimpse into the vibrant world of early Islamic civilization. Minted during the Abbasid Caliphate—a golden age of scholarship, trade, and cultural flourishing—these small artifacts were everyday essentials, circulating across vast empires from Baghdad to beyond. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art collection acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1939, it exemplifies precision of Islamic dating systems, blending lunar Hijri years with the Gregorian calendar for modern accessibility. Crafted from durab...