ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. temp. Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan, AH 41-60 / AD 661-680. Fals (Bronze, 24 mm, 2.20 g, 7 h), Arab-Byzantine, derived from a Constantine IV follis from Syracuse, uncertain, circa AH 50 = AD 670. Helmeted, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantine IV facing, holding globus cruciger in his right hand; to left and right, blundered legend.
Rev. Large M flanked by standing and facing figures, each wearing crown and chlamys and holding globus cruciger in his right hand; above, monogram; in exergue, blundered SCL. Album 3508. DOCAB 25. Goodwin&Gyselen, p. 48, Class I. Very rare. Some light deposits and with an edge crack
, otherwise, good very fine.
From a European collection, formed before 2005.
It is still very much unclear whether the obverse legend on this type it is a blundered version of something meaningful or simply meaningless scribble. One possible reading offered by T. Goodwin and R. Gyselen is 'mlt'n' - MLKA ('Martan Shah', 'king of men' in Pahlawi) .
