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Fraction de denier au château
| Issuer | Principality of Antioch |
|---|---|
| Year | 1120-1140 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Fractional Denier |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Fortified city gate depicted frontally, composed of a central arched portal flanked by two square towers with crenellated parapets, all rendered in a schematic, architectural style typical of Crusader coinage. Three pellets arranged in a row appear in the lower field beneath the gateway. The design fills the flan and is boldly struck in high relief despite the small module. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Principality of Antioch occupied an awkward commercial position — a Latin crusader state embedded in a Byzantine and Islamic trading network that had no use for its coinage. Small copper fractions like this one were minted to fill a gap at the lowest end of local exchange, where neither Byzantine nor Arab issues circulated in sufficient quantity. The reign bracket of 1120–1140 encompasses Bohemond II's brief rule and the regency of Alice of Antioch, a period of serious dynastic instability following his death at Anazarbus in 1130.
Metcalf's classification of this type remains the standard reference, though die studies suggest the series was struck over a compressed period rather than continuously across the full two decades.