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Weight

Weight

  • Place of origin:

    Egypt (made)

  • Date:

    1036-1094 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Stamped blue glass

  • Museum number:

    360:10-1900

  • Gallery location:

    Glass, room 131, case 85, shelf 4

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People used coin weights such as this in Egypt under the Fatimid dynasty (969-1171). This example weighs 3.00 grammes and we think it was used to balance silver coinage weighing one dirham. It was produced in the reign of the caliph al-Mustansir (1036-1094), whose names and titles appear on the obverse. (This is the side of the coin that carries the main design.) They are written in a band that surrounds the circular field, which contains the title Commander of the Faithful in two lines. The reverse of the coin is blank.

Physical description

Coin weight of transparent glass with a blue tinge. Equates to the weight of a dirham.

Place of Origin

Egypt

Date

1036-1094 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown

Materials and Techniques

Stamped blue glass

Marks and inscriptions

"'al-!imaam ma?add !abuu tamiim al-muStansir bi-llaah / !amiir / al-mu!miniin'" 'The Imam Ma'add Abu Tamim al-Mustansir bi-Allah, Commander of the Faithful' Inscription; decoration; Arabic; Arabic; obverse; stamped

Dimensions

Diameter: 2.5 cm
Diameter: 1.7 cm (of die)
Weight: 3.00 g

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Balog, Paul, "Fatimid glass jetons: token currency or coin weights?", Annali, Istituto Italiano di Numismatica, 20 (1973): 121-212
Same as Balog type 298. From the same dies as Balog nos. 298.1-298.5.

Attribution Note

The Fatimid caliph al-Mustansir (1036-1094) is named in the inscription.

Shape

circular

Materials

Glass

Techniques

Stamped

Categories

Islam; Africa

Collection code

CER

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Qr_O74023
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