Public Numismatic Auction #8

Banu Nu'man. Fals non daté (VIIème siècle), atelier indéterminé. Un empereur debout, couronné, tenant une lance et un globe, flanqué à gauche de l'inscription "Nu'man" en arabe / M cursif surmonté d'une croix, "Muhammad" en arabe à l'exergue. 3,7g. A -; Walker 140 ; Goodwin -; Foss - (cf. 31). Très rare. Très beau.
The region bordering the Dead Sea was the scene of attacks and pillaging from the early 6th century. These were carried out by a clan known as the "Nu’man" (“head of the clan”). This bronze coin is based on the Byzantine type of the standing emperor. The name of the Prophet is written in Arabic on the reverse and the inscription "Nu’man" is written on the obverse. It seems very likely that the clan issued this coin unofficially to make up for the lack of smaller denominations, and it reflects the clan's early Islamisation. Although Foss refers to a fals bearing the name of the Prophet, which he believes was issued in Palestine in the mid-7th century (cf. Foss 31), this type including the name of the Nu'man clan seems rare. Only one specimen with an illegible legend had been published by Walker.