Search Results:

Viewing Record 1 of 1
 


Maker(s):Unknown
Culture:Crusader
Title:Bezant in imitation of a Fatimid dinar of al-Amir
Date Made:12th-13th century
Type:Coin/Numismatic
Materials:Gold
Place Made:Asia; Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem; possibly Acre
Measurements:Overall: 22 mm; 7/8 in (diameter); Weight: 4.01 g
Accession Number:  MH 2012.32
Credit Line:Purchase with the Marian Hayes (Class of 1925) Art Purchase Fund
Museum Collection:  Mount Holyoke College Art Museum
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg

Description:
Obverse: Two lines of Arabic text surrounded by two bands of text in margin with bands separating.
Obverse legend: [Arabic text in Kufic script]
Reverse: Two lines of Arabic text surrounded by two bands of text in margin with bands separating.
Reverse legend: [Arabic text in Kufic script]

Label Text:
Between the 11th and 15th centuries, European powers sent armies into the Middle East to conquer Islamic lands under the banner of Christianity. Some of these violent invasions were successful, resulting in the establishment of Crusader states like the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, which minted this remarkable coin. Rather than visually distancing themselves from native Islamic numismatic traditions, the crusaders made almost exact copies of Islamic coins for their own use, probably in an effort to make trade and commerce with local communities easier. This crusader coin is a copy of a dinar minted in Egypt under the Fatimid caliph al-Amir, complete with its Arabic inscriptions proclaiming the oneness of God and the role of Muhammad as Prophet. The only difference between a Fatimid dinar and its crusader copy is the quality of the inscriptions: the Arabic calligraphy on Fatimid coins is precise, proportional, and highly legible, while the inscriptions on the crusader copies are slightly less so. The crusader-controlled lands in the Levant were finally reclaimed by Islamic armies at the end of the 13th century.

Tags:
numismatics

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+2012.32

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.

8 Related Media Items

mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_02.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v2_02.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01_cc.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_02_cc.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v2_02_cc.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01_ref.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_01.jpg
mh_2012_32_v1_02_ref.jpg
Viewing Record 1 of 1