Arab-Byzantine Coins: An Introduction, with a Catalogue of the Dumbarton Oaks Collection »

Clive Foss is Visiting Professor of History at Georgetown University.

This illustrated handbook presents a concise history of the development of the coinage of the early Arab caliphate in the seventh century, tracing its transition from coins that closely resembled Byzantine issues with imperial images to purely aniconic specimens with inscriptions in Arabic. This so-called “Arab-Byzantine series” sheds light on a pivotal period in the history of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, as formerly Byzantine provinces were slowly Arabicized and Islamicized following the Arab conquests of the 630s and 640s. The historical introduction, which includes descriptions of all the basic types, is followed by a summary catalogue of the recently acquired collection of Arab-Byzantine coins at Dumbarton Oaks.

Syria

1 Byzantine Syria, 602-61 3

2 The Persian Occupation, 610-630 9

3 The Byzantine Restoration, 629-640 13

4 The Early Caliphate, 636-660 18

5 The Caliphate of Mu'awiya, 660-680 38

6 The Civil Wars, 680-692 56

7 The Caliphate of Abd al-Malik, 685-705 58

Egypt

8 Byzantine Egypt, 602-621 87

9 The Persian Occupation, 618-630 92

10 The Byzantine Restoration, 630-646 95

11 Egypt under the Arabs, 642-705 99

Conclusions

12 The End of the Arab-Byzantine Coinage 109

13 Conclusions 112

Catalogue

14 Catalogue of Arab-Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection 121

Maps 158

Coins from Hoards and Excavations 163

Abbreviations 177

Glossary of Arabic Inscriptions 179

References 181

Photo credits 189