The Numismatic Bibliomania Society

PREV ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V14 2011 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 14, Number 34, August 14, 2011, Article 30

FEATURED WEB PAGE: THE TALE OF OFFA AND THE ARABIC COIN

This week's Featured Web Page is " The Tale of Offa and the Arabic Coin" from Susan Wise Bauer's " The History of the (Whole) World" blog.

Once upon a time, a king named Offa ruled in the English kingdom of Mercia. Offa, who reigned c. 757-796, had a (relatively) huge empire, big enough so that Charlemagne treated him as an honored colleague. (Not as an equal, but then Charlemagne didn't treat anyone as an equal. Their friendship endured until Offa suggested that his son and heir marry one of Charlemagne's daughters, at which point Charlemagne was highly offended and broke off contact. But that's another story).

And here's Offa (he was rich and powerful enough to mint his own coins, some of which have survived with his portrait on them).

Late in Offa's reign, one of his money-makers designed him a new coin. On one side, it says "Offa Rex." And on the other, it says, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."

How did this happen?

Offa Rex coin

www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/tales-from-history/
the-tale-of-offa-and-the-arabic-coin/



Wayne Homren, Editor

Google
 
NBS (coinbooks.org) Web

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum

PREV ARTICLE       FULL ISSUE       PREV FULL ISSUE      

V14 2011 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

Copyright © 1998 - 2020 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.

NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
coin