DOI issue:
II. Materiały
DOI article:Bartczak, Andrzej: Dirhams in the collection of the auxiliary science and archive department, institute of history, Jagiellonian University
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21229#0168
Wolański,1 the well known historian of art and collector in Cracow. An
exchange could have produced a gathering of coins from one or possibly
even several finds. Unfortunately, in the professor’s legacy - including his
library which he donated to the Nicholas Copernicus University at Toruń
- no document has survived to help reconstruct the origin of the set in
question. We cannot rule out the possibility that the set, though not abun-
dant, could be a hoard or part of one and surfaced in what is now Byelo-
russia.2 The scant number of coins does not, unfortunately, permit a detailed
structural analysis and comparison with other numismatic material from
finds of similar chronology in neighboring regions. Only that could throw
more light on its provenance.
The catalog part in the present paper is arranged in columns. Under-
neath the name of the dynasty and ruler in the first column is coin num-
ber. The second column identifies the mint that struck the respective dir-
ham. Column three contains the date of coinage in Islamic calendar (AH )
and its equivalent in our chronology (AD) obtained from Wüstenfeld’s
conversion tables.3 Column four specifies coin weight, diameter and place-
ment of the reverse relative to the obverse. The system used here to de-
scribe kufi dirhams includes some classifications of typical elements on
those coins as proposed by the authors of the Swedish CNS inventory
series.4 It is especially true of information provided in the last column
which makes references to specialist literature followed by a descrip-
tion of the obverse field complete with the arrangement of the kalimah
and inscriptions and ornaments, if present, over or under it, as well as
a reference to lä ligature according to the systematics by U.S. Tinder
Welin. Following it is a description of both marginal legends5 and any
surrounding rings of which the first separates the field from the inner
marginal legend and the second is the outermost element on a dirham
1 Mikołajczyk 1994, p. 335.
2 Information on the origin of the dirhams in the set I owe to Professor Zbigniew
Perzanowski, who had occasion to study the collection left by Prof. Semkowicz and whom
I am greatly indebted. I also thank Doctor Zenon Piech for allowing me access to the
coins and Mr. [arosław Bodzek, MA, for supplying me with their photographs.
3 Wüstenfeld 1903.
4 CNS Stockholm 1975-87.
5 CNS 1987, p. 208.
166
exchange could have produced a gathering of coins from one or possibly
even several finds. Unfortunately, in the professor’s legacy - including his
library which he donated to the Nicholas Copernicus University at Toruń
- no document has survived to help reconstruct the origin of the set in
question. We cannot rule out the possibility that the set, though not abun-
dant, could be a hoard or part of one and surfaced in what is now Byelo-
russia.2 The scant number of coins does not, unfortunately, permit a detailed
structural analysis and comparison with other numismatic material from
finds of similar chronology in neighboring regions. Only that could throw
more light on its provenance.
The catalog part in the present paper is arranged in columns. Under-
neath the name of the dynasty and ruler in the first column is coin num-
ber. The second column identifies the mint that struck the respective dir-
ham. Column three contains the date of coinage in Islamic calendar (AH )
and its equivalent in our chronology (AD) obtained from Wüstenfeld’s
conversion tables.3 Column four specifies coin weight, diameter and place-
ment of the reverse relative to the obverse. The system used here to de-
scribe kufi dirhams includes some classifications of typical elements on
those coins as proposed by the authors of the Swedish CNS inventory
series.4 It is especially true of information provided in the last column
which makes references to specialist literature followed by a descrip-
tion of the obverse field complete with the arrangement of the kalimah
and inscriptions and ornaments, if present, over or under it, as well as
a reference to lä ligature according to the systematics by U.S. Tinder
Welin. Following it is a description of both marginal legends5 and any
surrounding rings of which the first separates the field from the inner
marginal legend and the second is the outermost element on a dirham
1 Mikołajczyk 1994, p. 335.
2 Information on the origin of the dirhams in the set I owe to Professor Zbigniew
Perzanowski, who had occasion to study the collection left by Prof. Semkowicz and whom
I am greatly indebted. I also thank Doctor Zenon Piech for allowing me access to the
coins and Mr. [arosław Bodzek, MA, for supplying me with their photographs.
3 Wüstenfeld 1903.
4 CNS Stockholm 1975-87.
5 CNS 1987, p. 208.
166