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Semissis / 1/2 Dinar - Unknown - al-Andalus - Transitional coinage Spain and North Africa - Arab-Byzantine
| Issuer | Umayyad Caliphate |
|---|---|
| Year | 711-718 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Semissis (1/2) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized and degenerate standing imperial figure occupying the central field, derived from the Byzantine emperor type used on late Visigothic and early Arab-Byzantine gold coinage of the Iberian Peninsula. The effigy is rendered in a schematic, almost abstract manner characteristic of the transitional Arab-Byzantine series, with limbs and regalia reduced to globular and linear elements. A circular border of pellets or beading encloses the central design, and the surrounding legend, though largely illegible due to die degradation and flan irregularity, retains traces of Latin lettering. The flat, irregular flan and crudely punched relief reflect the primitive minting conditions of the early Umayyad occupation of al-Andalus. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central device depicting a stylized pole or column surmounted by a globular or floral finial, derived from the Byzantine cross-on-steps motif that was progressively abstracted on the transitional Arab-Byzantine coinage of al-Andalus. The vertical shaft rises from a stepped or tiered base, the whole rendered in schematic relief consistent with the degenerate style of this series. A border of pellets circumscribes the central type, with scattered globular elements filling the surrounding field. Traces of a Latin or pseudo-Latin peripheral legend are present but largely illegible owing to the irregularity of the hammered flan and die wear. |
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| Mint | al-Andalus |
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