Weight
1013-1021 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
People used coin weights such as this in Egypt under the Fatimid dynasty (969-1171). This example weighs 1.46 grammes and we think it was used to balance the weight of half a dirham in silver. It was produced in the reign of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim (996-1021), whose name was stamped on the obverse. (This is the side of the coin that carries the main design.) The caliph's name is followed by the phrase 'and his heir apparent'. This is a reference to 'Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas. He was heir apparent from 1013 until al-Hakim's death in 1021 but did not succeed him. The inscription on the reverse is illegible.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Stamped green glass |
| Brief description | Green coin weight, from the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim (996-1021). Equates to the weight of a half-dirham. Egypt (Cairo) |
| Physical description | Green coin glass weight, equating to the weight of a half-dirham. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'al-Haakim / wa-waliyy ?ahdihi' (Arabic; Arabic; obverse; stamped)
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| Production | The name of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim (996-1021) in the inscription is followed by the phrase 'and his heir apparent', a reference to 'Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas, who was appointed heir apparent in 1013. |
| Summary | People used coin weights such as this in Egypt under the Fatimid dynasty (969-1171). This example weighs 1.46 grammes and we think it was used to balance the weight of half a dirham in silver. It was produced in the reign of the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim (996-1021), whose name was stamped on the obverse. (This is the side of the coin that carries the main design.) The caliph's name is followed by the phrase 'and his heir apparent'. This is a reference to 'Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas. He was heir apparent from 1013 until al-Hakim's death in 1021 but did not succeed him. The inscription on the reverse is illegible. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 360:12-1900 |
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| Record created | February 6, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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