Brooks Johnson
Islamic and Byzantine coins
This is the contrasting of coins named Solidus used in ancient Byzantine Empire and the Umayyad Dinar used in ancient Islamic civilizations. I have gathered my facts from a collection of books and web sites to explain the differences between the Solidus and the Umayyad Dinar. The Umayyad Dinar and the Solidus are two ancient coins that are vastly different in their appearance, value, and were they were used.
The appearance of the Solidus and the Umayyad Dinar are very different.
The Solidus has a picture of an emperor on it. This was because the emperor wanted to show his power. The Umayyad Dinar was very different it had writing all over it saying “there is no God but God alone without a partner” and on the rim is written "Mohammed is the Prophet of God sent by God to guide, the religion of truth to show to the whole world". Also on the rim is written, "In the name of God, this dinar was minted in the year hundred and six (Hejira)". This is from the angular Kufic script.
This is basically the complete opposite of the solidus. While the Solidus was made to make the Emperor powerful the Umayyad Dinar states that it is bad to want to be like a god, like the emperor is doing. The imagery and writing on the coin did not however affect the value of the coin.
The values of these two coins are different. The Umayyad Dinar was first made out of silver and then was made out of gold. The Solidus was always made of gold. The Solidus was always worth more than the Umayyad Dinar especially when the Umayyad Dinar was made of silver. The weight of the Umayyad Dinar was around 4.25 grams, while the solidus weighed around 4.5 grams. The Umayyad Dinar was also thinner than the Solidus. The value was also greatly determined by where the coin was being used.
The places these coins were used and how many different places they were used is stunning. The Umayyad Dinar was not used greatly other than in Islamic societies, which is where it is made. The Solidus on the other hand, influenced and was used as a currency many other places, such as France, Quebec, Italy, Spain, Peru, Portugal, Brazil, and The United Kingdom. In all of these places it was used and many societies were greatly influenced by it. After all it is the first coin to have a picture of the emperor or king in power at the time of its making.
These two coins have many characteristics that make them different form on another in their appearance, value, and were they were used. These coin were a very large part of the culture of the Byzantine Empire and all of the Islamic civilizations.
Solidus
Umayyad Dinar
Outline
I. Introduction
a. The Umayyad Dinar and the Solidus are two ancient coins that are vastly different in their appearance, value, and were they were used.
II. Appearance
a. Umayyad Dinar had writing
b. Solidus had pictures and writing
c. Imagery
III. Value
a. Weight
b. Material
c. History of value
IIII. Places used
a. Locations
b. Influences
c. Places used
d. What it influenced
IIIII. Conclusion
a. The Umayyad Dinar and the Solidus are two ancient coins that are vastly different in their appearance, value, and were they were used.
b. conclusion sentence
"Gold coin of Abd al-Malik." The British Museum . the British Museum. Web. 17 Dec 2013. <http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/cm/g/gold_coin_of_abd_al-malik.asp&xgt;.
"Solidus (coin)." wikipedia. Wikipedia , 27 11 2013. Web. 17 Dec 2013. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solidus_(coin)>.
Wayne, Sayles. Ancient Coin Collecting V. 1st. Iola,WI: Krause Publications, 1998. 3-4. Print.
Moktfi, Mokhtar, and Véronique Ageorges. The Arabs In The Golden Age. 1st. Conneticut: Millbook Press, 1992. 30-31. Print.
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