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Gold Bezant fragments - Anonymous Crusader imitation
| Issuer | Kingdom of Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Year | 1160-1200 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Fragment of a hammered gold bezant struck in imitation of Fatimid dinars, retaining portions of blundered pseudo-Kufic script arranged in the field and inner circle typical of the Crusader imitative series. The surface exhibits deeply struck, irregular relief characteristic of crude hammered workmanship, with remnants of a central legend area visible amid stylized decorative elements derived from Arabic prototypes. The legends are entirely degenerate and non-legible, reflecting the non-Muslim Crusader workshop's unfamiliarity with the original Arabic calligraphy. Only a portion of the original flan survives, with jagged, irregular edges consistent with deliberate fragmentation or clipping for bullion purposes. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Illegible blundered Arabic or pseudo-Kufic script. |
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| Additional information |
Crusader imitations of Fatimid dinars circulated widely in the Latin East precisely because Islamic merchants refused coins bearing Christian iconography. The Kingdom of Jerusalem's solution was to copy the Arabic script and design of the Fatimid gold coinage closely enough to pass in regional trade — a deliberate economic pragmatism that the papacy eventually condemned. Caliph al-Adid's name appears on some versions, a detail that scandalized Pope Alexander III sufficiently to prompt a formal prohibition around 1180.
A fragment this small was almost certainly cut for small change, the bezant being divided by shears in the field.