SOME collectors, e.g. me, like to collectcoins that look rather miserable and

come from some remote time and place,but are important historically and quite

fascinating when looked at more care-fully. The small bronze coins that wereminted from about 700 AD in the citiesof the Middle East that were conqueredby Muslim armies are just such coins.They are called ‘fulus’, which is the pluralof ‘fals’, which is derived from the word‘follis’, which was a coin introduced bythe Roman emperor, Diocletian (284-305AD). The word ‘follis’ originally meant aleather pouch or purse.There is a whole series of these coins

and what makes them interesting arethe images of animals, plants and otherobjects that occasionally appear on them.As the coins are usually in rather poorcondition the images are not noticed

unless an effort is made to see them.What at first looks like a smudge in thecentre of a coin covered with Arabic wordsturns out to be a duck (Figure 1) oran elephant (Figure 2) or some othersurprise. Islam (an Arabic word meaning ‘sub-

mission’) is the religion founded byMuhammad in Arabia in the 7th centuryAD. Followers of Islam are called Mus-lims (meaning ‘those who submit’).Muslims believe that God (Allah) dic-tated the Koran (Qur’an) to Muhammad.In the 7th century Muslim armies con-quered the Sasanian Empire (what todayis Iraq and Iran) and the eastern partof the Byzantine Empire (what today

Palms in the desert. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Figure 1 – A fals with a duck on the reverse. In thecentre of the obverse is the Arabic word, lillah,which means, “for Allah”. (Author’s collection)

Figure 2 – A fals with an elephant on the obverse. The mint name at the bottom of the reverse is Hims (Homs in Syria). (Author’s collection)

includes Syria, Israel and Egypt). At firstthe coins minted in the conquered citieslooked like the coins that had previouslycirculated but with small changes thatindicated that they were issued by theMuslim authorities. Because these coinslooked like the earlier ones and wereworth much the same the Muslims avoi-ded any disruption in the economies ofthe conquered territories. A Sasaniandrachm issued during the reign of KhusruII (591-628 AD) looks like one issued

after the Muslim conquest except thaton the Muslim coin the Arabic phrase‘bismillah’ occurs in the margin of theobverse at 4 o’clock. It means ‘in the nameof Allah’. (Figures 3 and 4) Similarly aByzantine follis issued during the reignof Constans II (641-668 AD) looks likeone issued after the Muslim conquestexcept that the Muslim one has Arabicwriting on it. (Figures 5 and 6)When Abd al-Malik became the ruler or

caliph (successor) of the Muslim Empire

in 685 AD he wanted the coinage to bedistinctly Islamic. Because the Muslimsbelieved that their religion followed onfrom the Jewish religion they forbadethe use of images, as did the Jews, andAbd al-Malik allowed only Arabic wordsto appear on the coins. Therefore on thefirst fals issued as part of his reform ofthe coinage only the Arabic words lailah illa Allah wahdahu (There is nogod except Allah alone) appear on theobverse and Muhammad rasul Allah(Muhammad is the messenger of Allah)appear on the reverse. (Figure 7) Thesewords form the basic statement ofMuslim belief which is known as theShahada. To become a Muslim one needsto recite these words. At first there was no mint name or

date on the post-reform fulus, butafter some years mint names began toappear. Also, surprisingly, some citiesput images in the centre of the obverseor reverse of their coins, which wereintended for local circulation only. Whatthese images meant is unknown, but itis reasonable to assume that they hadsymbolic significance for the people whoused them. Alternatively, the imageswere symbols relating to the Muslimgovernors of the conquered cities, but itseems unlikely that they would defy thecaliph in this way. In later times Muslimgovernors simply put their names inArabic on the coins.In considering the various images on

the coins it should be borne in mind that

Figure 3 – Silver drachm of the Sasanian emperor, Khusru II (591-628 AD). On the reverse atten-dants stand beside a fire altar. The words are in Pahlavi (Middle Persian). On the obverse the lettersin the margin at 4 o’clock are APD (excellent). (Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger, Auction 275, Lot 4205)

Figure 4 – Arab-Sasanian coin of the Khusru II type minted in Persia.(Pegasi Numismatics, Auction XXV, Lot 271)

Figure 5 – Follis of Constans II minted at Constantinople. In the exergue on the reverse εɪɪ meansthe coin was made in the 5th factory in the 2nd year of his reign (642 AD). Sear, Byzantine Coins,1000. (Author’s collection)

Figure 6 – Arab-Byzantine fals of the Constans IItype. Although Constans is on the obverse and alarge M on the reverse the legends are in Arabic.(Numismatik Naumann, Auction 37, Lot 792)

in these cities the Muslim governor wouldhave allowed the existing bureaucracyto continue running the city. Initiallythese people would have been Christiansand Jews, and it was only with thepassage of time that they converted toIslam because of the advantages thatbeing Muslim would bring. Therefore itis possible that the images on the coinswere meant to convey a Christian orJewish message of some sort.On some fulus the images suggest a

Jewish message. On a fals minted in thecity of Amman in Jordan there is a lily.(Figure 8) We know the mint was Ammanbecause some of these fulus actually

have the name of the mint on them. InByzantine times the city was known asPhiladelphia. Today the population ofAmman is predominantly Muslim butbefore it was taken by the Muslims aproportion of the population would havebeen Jewish, and the lily had been a sym-bol of Israel at least since the 2nd centuryBC. It appears on a small bronze coin (aprutah) issued by the Seleucid emperor,Antiochus VII, in 132 BC, and on this coinit is considered to refer to Jerusalem.(Figure 9) The Jewish high priest at thetime was John Hyrcanus I and there isa lily on one of the coins that he issuedin his own right. In reference to the high

priest’s coin, David Hendin (author ofGuide to Biblical Coins) wrote, “Theselection of the lily seems to be based onits ornamental use in the JerusalemTemple. The lily, along with two hundred

Figure 7 – The common plain fals. On this example there is a tiny star in the centre of the obverseand scholars have attributed the coin to Aleppo. (Vcoins.com: London Ancient Coins)

Figure 8 – A fals with a lily on the reverse. The Arabic words on the obverse and reverse are theShahada. There is no mint name on this coin. Album 160. (Author’s collection)

Figure 9 – Prutah of the Seleucid king Antiochus VII and the Jewish high-priest John Hyrcanus I.The anchor was a Seleucid symbol and the lily represented Jerusalem. Hendin 1131. (Gemini,LLC, Auction VI, Lot 272)

Figure 10 – A fals with a pomegranate on thereverse. The Arabic words on the obverse andreverse are the Shahada. (Author’s collection)

Figure 11 – 500 prutah coin of modern Israelminted in 1949. There are 3 pomegranates onthe obverse. (Author’s collection)

pomegranates, graced the capitals ofthe two main pillars, Yachin and Boaz,at the entrance. Lilies also graced otherornamental and ritual objects, and manyobjects of everyday life. The lily was asymbol of Jerusalem itself . . .” A pomegranate appears on a fals that

has no mint name on it. (Figure 10) Likethe lily the pomegranate had been asymbol of Israel since Seleucid times,and it appears on coins of John HyrcanusI and frequently on the coins of subse-quent Jewish rulers. It even appears onmodern Israeli coins. (Figure 11) It wasa symbol of fertility, and gold pomegran-

ates were on the robes of the high priest.It is hard to imagine that the pomegran-ate on the fals had nothing to do withthe Jews.The palm tree and palm branch were

also symbols of Israel and they appear onancient Jewish coins. (Figures 12 and 13)They also appear on fulus. The trees orbranches on these fulus can have 5 or 7branches. (Figures 14 and 15) It has beensuggested that the former represent the5 pillars of Islam (i.e. Shahada, worship,alms-giving, fasting and pilgrimage toMecca) while the latter represents the

Figure 12 – Bronze coin of Herod Antipas minted in 39/40 AD. Hendin 1215 (full denomination).(Heritage Auctions, Shoshana Collection, 9th March 2012, Lot 20119)

Figure 13 – Bronze coin of Herod Antipas minted in 39/40 AD. Hendin 1216 (half denomination). (Numismatica Ars Classica, Auction 59, Lot 1334)

Figure 14 – A fals with a tree (or branch) with 5 branches on the obverse and a crescent on thereverse. The Arabic words are the Shahada. The crescent is unlikely to have become a Muslimsymbol at this early stage. (Author’s collection)

Continued overleaf ...

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .P/Code . . . . . . . . . .

Yes, I’d like your latest catalogue

PO Box 1616, Ballarat Mail Centre Victoria 3354 AustraliaPhone: (03) 5330 1486 Email: coins@netconnect.com.auVisit our ONLINE BIDSITE:www.coinmall.com/cointrends

PostalBid SaleWe offer regularsales of 5,000+lots, including

World Coins - Most Countries A to Z (2,000+ lots) inall metals including Gold.Australia -Pre Decimal,Gold, Banknotes,Decimal,Tradesmen’s Tokens (800+ lots)Medallions -Share Script (Gold Mining)World Banknotes -Ancients - Roman Coins.Great Britain -Hammered, Milled &Modern Coins, LargeSelection of Tokens & Medallions

A wide range of lots tosuit almost any collecting

interest and budget -Lots from $5 to $5,000.

Please request ourFREE Catalogue.

�

great golden candelabra (menorah) thatstood in the Temple in Jerusalem andhad seven branches. (Figure 16) But itis unlikely that there was a referenceto the 5 pillars of Islam because suchdoctrinal consolidation would not haveoccurred at this early stage. Perhaps achange from 7 to 5 was made to make itless Jewish.Some rare fulus have an image that

looks like a candelabra with 5 or 7branches. Some scholars say that it isnot the menorah but the dome of amosque. They say it depends on whichway you look at it. (Figure 17) But itcannot be a mosque because the Arabiclegend on the coin begins at 5 o’clockand is read anti-clockwise, which makesthe mosque upside-down. Some say it is

the Omer cup (a bowl used in the Templeritual), which appears on coins of theFirst Jewish Revolt, but on those coinsthe cup is not ribbed. Because these fulushave been found in the vicinity of Jeru-salem they have been attributed to thatcity. The Arabs called the city, Illiya,after its Roman name, Aelia Capitolina.The menorah does occur on a rare coin ofthe Jewish ruler, Mattatayah Antigonas,struck in Jerusalem in about 38 BC.(Figure 18) Dan Barag, an Israeli numis-matist, commenting on the Islamic fuluswrote, “It is of course undeniable thatby choosing the candlestick, the mintauthorities adopted the ancient Jewishmenorah, albeit changing it slightly(e.g. the flat base). There is no way ofdetermining how this influence was

effected and whether Jewish die-makersor mint-masters were involved in theproduction of these coins. . .” Probablybecause the Jews and the Muslims hada common enemy in the ByzantineChristians the new rulers of Jerusalemwere tolerant to the Jews and allowedthis expression of Jewish religious sym-bolism. A rare fals has a fish. (Figure 19) There

is no mint name, but because a numberof these coins were found near the Israelitown of Beth Shean they were probablyminted there. (Figure 20) It is 25 kilo-metres south of the Sea of Galilee, andbefore the Muslim invasion it was knownas Scythopolis. Its ancient name wasBeth Shean or Beth Shan, and the Mus-lims revived this name calling the townBaysan. Scythopolis was a Christiancentre and the seat of a bishop. Therewere several churches there, and one (nolonger in existence) was built on the topof the mound according to the plan of theoriginal Church of the Holy Sepulchrein Jerusalem. Nearby a sixth-centurymonastery with beautiful mosaic floorshas been excavated. The fish had beena symbol of Christianity almost from itsbeginning. At the end of John’s gospelthe resurrected Jesus gives his disciplesfish to eat (Jn 21:13). Also, the Greekword for fish, ICHTHYS, was an acronymfor “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.”

Figure 16 – A panel on the arch of Titus in Rome. It shows the triumphal parade on his return toRome after the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Soldiers are carrying the menorah. (Source: Wikime-dia Commons. Photo by A. Hunter Wright)

Figure 15 – A fals with a tree with 7 branches on the obverse and a crescent on the reverse. (Vcoins.com: Zurqieh)

Figure 17 – A fals with an image that looks likethe menorah with five branches on the obverse.Its 3-pronged base should be compared with thebase of the actual menorah shown in Figure 16.The obverse legend means, “There is no godbut Allah alone.” (Pecunem Auction 43, Lot 788)

As such the fish was a useful secret signfor Christians to use in times of perse-cution. As there would not have been afishing industry at Baysan the fish onthese coins was probably a Christianmessage. A fals without a mint name has a bird

on it. (Figure 21) Although the dove was

a popular Christian symbol, representingthe Holy Spirit, the bird on these fulushas a down-turned beak indicating thatit must be an eagle or a hawk. In theHebrew Scriptures (the Old Testamentfor Christians) eagles are mentionedmany times, but in the New Testamentthey are mentioned only a few times.

Therefore if it is not a Muslim symbol,it probably has a Jewish message. In thebook of Isaiah there is a beautiful pas-sage: Those who hope in the Lord willrenew their strength. They will soar onwings like eagles; they will run and notgrow weary, they will walk and not befaint. (Isaiah 40:31) Perhaps this was themessage that the Jews wanted to convey.Jews had been persecuted during theRoman and Byzantine periods, and Isa-iah’s words would have encouraged them.Other images, e.g. scorpion, lion,

horse, appear on the fulus. StephenAlbum lists all the early Islamic fulusin his book, A Checklist of Islamic Coins.They come from a time of great changein the Middle East, and what the im-ages really mean may never be known.They remain fascinating stimuli to theimagination.

� � �

Figure 18 – Prutah of Mattatayah Antigonas with the showbread table on the obverse and themenorah on the reverse. Hendin 1168. (Gemini, LLC, Auction XI, Lot 294)

Figure 19 – A fals with a fish on the obverse. The Arabic words on the obverse and reverse are the Shahada. (Vcoins.com: Zurqieh)

Figure 20 – View of the ruins of Scythopolis (Beth-Shean).(Source: Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Zachary Ka-Tsun Wong)

Figure 21 – A fals with an eagle on the ob-verse. The Arabic words on the obverse andreverse are the Sahada. (Author’s collection)

YOU CAN ORDER THE

NEW (27th edition) of

RENNIKSAUSTRALIAN

COIN & BANKNOTE

VALUESdirectly from CAB.

See order form on page XX