Ancient African Gold

A welcomed addition to the collection. A good coin from sub-Saharan Africa. Only the Kingdom of Axum minted coins in sub-Saharan Africa in ancient times. This kingdom minted coins in 3 metals. Gold, silver and bronze. I was fortunate enough to acquire a gem Axumite bronze a couple years ago of King Armah. I have been looking for a gold coin for less than a fortune.

These coins are all fairly rare and most often survive only in lower grades. There are approx. 700 known Axumite gold coins, most are from South Arabia and Yemen, while the nearly all the coppers are found in Ethiopia, suggesting that the gold coin was used as trade currency with the Byzantine Empire. Axumite gold coins have been found as far away as South India, while silver and copper coins seemed to only travel as far as Judea. The copper and silver coins were most likely carried by Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. While the pieces in India are almost certainly a product of sea trade with the East.

The coin I acquired is from the early Christian period. Axum was the first Christian kingdom in the world, and their coins suggest Christianity was popular and later coins enphasize the King's faith. These coins replaced the old Pagan coins, and are often differentiated by the use of Greek instead of native Ge'ez, and the replacement of the crescent motif with a Christian cross.

Many of the legends on these coins are only partially understood. There are numerous spellings for the same kings name, as well as places and people. These coins were generally about 1/2 the weight of the contemporary Roman Solidus. As the weight of the RS fell the weight of the Axumite gold coin did as well, by the same margin. Today these coins are referred to as a Tremisis but it is unknown what the Axumite called their coins. This coin is just a fascinating numismatic curiosity. I am really excited about acquiring this specimen.

Africa, Ethiopia
Kingdom of Axum
AV Unit ( AD 440-470)
17 mm x 1.63 grams
Obverse: Crowned and draped bust right with ribbon behind, holding stick, between wheat stalks, within beaded circle. Ge'ez legend - +nic+cËc+cËx+ËcË (interpretation uncertain - possibly King of the Habashites)
Reverse: Draped bust right, wearing head cloth (doo rag) with ribbon behind, holding fly whisk, between wheat stalks, within beaded circle. +ccb+ËnË+baz+aza (King Ebana)
Ref: MH-71

 

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Nice write up and great coin.

One of the cooler looking/interesting coins posted here lately too.

 

and a good read...

http://www.dskmariam.org/artsandlitreature/litreature/pdf/aksum.pdf

 

Great coin! I also like the Axum only idea of small denominations of gold made with a speck in a recess on the reverse of a copper carrier coin.

 

King Armah / Ashama ibn Abjar

 

Wow, Noob! Fantastic coin!!

 

Great, another ancient kingdom I have never heard of that made coins that I suddenly need.

That speck of gold in a bronze carrier is unreal! Did any other city or state ever do that? I don't count the awful modern coins made with two metals.

John

 

I just have a copper too.


Kings of Axum
Anonymous
AD 400-500
AE 14
O: BAC + ACA, Crowned bust right, holding cross-tipped scepter
R: +TOV TO APECH TH XWPA, Greek Cross; central punch-hole inlaid in gold, Inscription "May this (cross) please the country."
Munro-Hay 76, BMC Aksumite 316
0.75g

 

jeeze, those are really neat.

 

Neat coins all!

 

Fantastic OP and posts!!!

I LOVE that coin and that terrific narrative A-noob!!

Wasn't the Queen of Sheba associated with Aksum (Axum) as well??

 

Beyond Cool! Very nice, very interesting, great write-up!

 

Lots are associated with the Axumite Kingdom. Some of the early coins mention ruler over various peoples. Himyars, Saba and like 6 others. Mohammad's Letters to the Heads of State included the Axumite king. The Ark of the Covenant is thought to be in Ethiopia in Axum. The are also assosiated with a lost tribes of Jews and the offspring of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

 

Nope. The only one.

 

I have a Turko Hephthalite drachm that was purposely plugged with gold but it was not gilded coin like these.
Vasu Deva c. AD 702

 

I can only add to the chorus of Great Coin! I'm fairly certain the Axumites were the first to invent bimetallic coins. I've never seen anything of the sort from any other ancient civilization.

 

Nice find! Small, but golden and packed with numismatic goodness!

 

"Sheba" is often equated with Saba, a ancient city at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula opposite Axum. The wealth of these two kingdoms derived from trade between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. Saba was the major power early in the 1st millennium BC. As Saba later declined, Axum grew and became a major power by the 1st century AD. Equating ancient Saba with the biblical "Sheba" in a general sense seems reasonable enough, though the historicity of the story as recounted in 1 Kings 10: 1-13 is controversial.

 

Gorgeous coin! I just went through the Axumite kingdom with my students - They were shocked when I told them I didn't have a coin from here...

 

@dltsrq
Do you know the Google translation of your Ancient Greek motto - it is:

Medea valite the daisy YOU front of the pig, never trample them in per drinking them and strafentes rixosin you out.

Curious what it really means!