A poor quality coin, but some unusual figure on the obverse, and a symbol, along with what appears to be a date on the left edge of the reverse, may provide a clue to someone on the blog.
This is a 7th century Arab-Byzantine coin of the Standing Caliph type. The reverse shows a parody of the Byzantine Holy Cross, the obverse a muslim warrior with a long sword. It dates from the last decades of the 7th century. There's no Islamic number date on the coin, the earliest Arab number dates appear in the 13th century on Seljuq coins.
Yep. As further background, when the Muslims conquered Byzantine territory, the locals still needed coins to use. So the Muslims at first made crude copies of Byzantine coins, and later modified them to be more "Islamic", but still look like what locals considered "money". After 50 years or so they moved to more Islamic style coins.
I should add, this is not a bad coin, these types usually are worn (search 'Standing caliph' on Vcoins). It probably was coined in Syria; Homs and Aleppo being the main mints.
You guys are just awesome. Great supportive comments. I recently found among my stash of Cilician Armenian medieval coins, two that had Arabic inscriptions, until I learned that when the Mamelukes extended their influence over Cilicia late 14th century, the same coin designs were used but inscribed in Arabic.
Coins are basically related and tied to History as a science. I would like to know if Armenia was part of the Byzantine Empire prior to the Mamluk invasion of Cilicia.
Armenia was rarely part of Byzantium, but always a pivoting point and a battleground between the Byzantine and the Persian empire. Whoever the Armenian kings or princes sided with, they had the advantage. The second Armenian Kingdom, the Arsacid dynasty, between 1st and 4th cent. AD, faced off with the Sassanids of Persia, as they tried to assimilate her into their empire. Armenia reacted by declaring Cristianity as a state religion and cutting off Zoroastrian ties with Persia. The third Armenian kingdom, the Bagratids, established in 886, after a few centuries of Arab invasions, now in a face-off with Byzantium, as the latter tried to assert its influence over Armenia through Christianity. Well, Armenia reacted by rejecting the council of Chalcedon decrees, and cut off its relations with the Roman and Greek churches. Byzantium finally annexed Armenia in 1045, a historically suicidal and disastrous move, removing the only buffer and obstacle to the freshly brewing Turkic invasions from the East. We all know history after this. Seljuqs, Mongols and Ottomans followed, and Constantinople fell in 1453. The Cilician kingdom 12-14th cent AD was an offshoot of the Armenian kingdoms during the Mongol rule of Armenia major in the East, (Mongols tolerated the Cilician kingdom due to its clever diplomacy) and supported by the Crusades. The Mamelukes took over for a while just before the arrival of the Ottomans and the fall of Constantinople. Sorry, TRIED to keep it short
I agree with the write-up mostly. I believe the relationship between the Parthians and Arsacid dynasties, as well as between the Sassanid and Arsacid dynasties, was much more complex than written, but you were trying to keep it brief. The relationships must be evaluated based upon genealogical ties, along with Roman and Persian spheres of influence to understand them. The Armenian empire during this time is a fascinating area of history, one which makes no sense until you delve down into family connections and other concerns rather than simply looking at it only through a Roman-Persian lens.
True, too complex to write in a single paragraph. History is just fascinating. You bringing up the Romans reminds me of Tigranes the great from 1st century BC and his balance of power between the Persians and the Romans (he was closely affiliated to Persia of course, until Lucullus ended his rule bitterly). Formerly, his son-in-law, Mithridates II had kicked the lion in the face and started off the Pontic wars, which blew up in Tigranes' face eventually.
Wonderful. The Armenian alphabet wasn't invented until 400 AD. ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΤΙΓΡΑΝΟΥ These are so expensive on the market. He founded the city of Tigranagerd, and I hear he populated it partly with Jewish settlers from the lands he conquered. Modern day Diyarbekir in Eastern Turkey.
