Coin

Art Historical Context

This unassuming copper coin, dating to the 8th–9th century, offers a tangible glimpse into the vibrant world of early Islamic civilization. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic department and acquired through the Rogers Fund 1939, it the practical artistry of medieval coinage. During this era, the Islamic world—spanning from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia—was a hub of trade, scholarship, and cultural exchange under caliphates like the Abbasids, and coins served as both economic lifelines and symbols of authority. Crafted from copper, a durable and affordable medium ideal ...