Seljuks. Syria. Anonymous, circa 480s-500s. Fals (Bronze, 21 mm, 3.09 g, 6 h), Pictorial type with lion walking on tree branch, Uncertain mint (Antakiya), No date. In four lines: lā ilāha illā / Allāh Muḥammad / [rasūl / Allāh] (‘There is no deity but God; Muḥammad is the Messenger of God’ in Arabic).. Rev. Lion walking right on a branch to the right; above, Allāh in Arabic and a star.. Album 779. Deposits and the usual areas of weakness, otherwise, very fine.


Bronze coinage of the Seljuqs of Syria, particularly the anonymous issues attributed to Anṭākiya, often combines Islamic inscriptions with striking figural imagery. The walking lion on a branch is one of the most distinctive motifs in this series.

These bronze issues were produced locally for everyday circulation and are usually crudely engraved and weakly struck, which makes examples with clearly visible details particularly desirable. The present specimen preserves the characteristic posture of the lion and the branch motif unusually well for the type.