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Description: | The coin appears to be a dirham of the Samanid ruler Isma'il I ibn Ahmad. The date is year Hijra 293 (= AD 905/6). There is usually a second, outer marginal inscription on the obverse of Samanid dirhams - unless the coin has been clipped. This could be an imitation, of a copper coin, with single marginal legends. It's not possible to read the mint, as there is a hole pierced, but the mint name is short, so probably Balkh. Samanid dirhams were transmitted in large numbers via river routes from the Caspian Sea to Scandinavia, as a result of Viking-Age trade, and from Scandinavia in smaller numbers to the British Isles. A number of Samanid dirhams are recorded in Viking hoards from England dating from the first three decades of the tenth century, and since the find-spot is in an area of extensive Viking settlement, it is reasonable to assume that the object was deposited as a result of Viking activity in the area.A single coin would not normally constitute Treasure. However, this example, which is slightly bent, and buckled on one edge, has been gilded on both faces, and pierced for suspension, while an area without gilding on one face, but with blackening of the silver may indicate that at some point a pin fitting was attached to turn the coin into a brooch. There are numerous precedents for considering single coin-brooches and pierced coin-pendants as ornaments rather than as coins, and therefore as potential Treasure. Coins of this period normally have a high silver content, far in excess of the 10% stipulated by the Treasure Act (1996). The precious metal content would only be enhanced by the gilding. It is therefore our recommendation that this object constitutes Treasure under the terms of the Treasure Act (1996).Dr Gareth Williams Dr Vesta Sarkhosh CurtisCurator of Early Medieval Coins Curator of Middle Eastern CoinsThe British Museum15.3.12
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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