Offa's imitation dinar
In the late 8th century, King Offa of Mercia issued a coin inspired by an Abbasid gold dinar. This coinage reflects early contact between Anglo-Saxon England and the Islamic world. The presence of Islamic silver coins (dirhams) in England further supports this interaction during the period.
Offa's imitation dinar
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- Name
- Abbasid Influence in Anglo-Saxon England
- Field
- gold dinar
- Region
- Kingdom of Mercia
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wikidata · Q135517324 · wikipedia · Offa's imitation dinar
In this article
Overview
Overview
Offa's coinage reforms in the late 8th century included the introduction of a “heavy” silver penny with standardized weight and design, likely influenced by contemporaneous monetary reforms in the Frankish Empire under Charlemagne. Among this reforms included a gold coin closely imitating an Abbasid dinar from AH 157 (AD 773–4), inscribed with "Offa Rex" in Latin, over Arabic script. This coin indicates awareness of Islamic currency and suggests early cultural and economic contact between Anglo-Saxon England and the Abbasid Caliphate. Some Arabic historical sources claim that Offa may have converted to Islam following interactions with Muslim merchants or envoys, though these accounts remain controversial and are not widely accepted in Western scholarship.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Abbasid Influence in Anglo-Saxon England • Date — 757 – 796 AD (influence continued until 1088 AD) • Location — Kingdom of Mercia, England (present-day England) • Cause — Cultural and economic contact via trade, diplomacy, and imitation of Islamic coinage
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Kingdom of Mercia
Country
Offa's imitation dinar is associated with Kingdom of Mercia.
Country
Literature
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Offa's imitation dinar, revision 1360628206 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Naismith, Medieval European Coinage, pp. 136–137.
- 2.Green, Caitlin. Distribution of Islamic Dirhams in England. caitlingreen.org. 2014-12-16.
- 3.Dr. Ragheb Mohamed Mohamed El-Sergany, عصر او على انجلترا الانجلو ساكسوني 757-796, pp. 162–165.
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Broader subject
1- gold dinarTerminology
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Further particulars
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Offa's imitation dinar is connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
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