Medieval Money

 


Follis of Tancred of Antioch

Coin

1104-1112 CE

Antioch (Syria)

Metal

1951.31.4.2239




 

Ducat of Roger II of Sicily 

Coins

1130-1154 CE

Sicily

Metal

1951.31.4.2251



Copper Follis of Bohemond the II of Antioch

Coin

1119-1130 CE

Antioch/ Syria

Metal

1951.31.4.2245




Dinar of Abu Hafs `Umar ibn Ishaq

Coins

c. 1250

North Africa

Metal

2003.235



 

Tancred was a leader of the First Crusade who later became the Prince of Galilee and regent of Antioch. In 1096, Tancred joined forces with his uncle as they conquered land in their trek toward Constantinople. Tancred and his uncle represented the Italo-Norman forces ravaged the Mediterranean coast seizing Antioch and Jerusalem. The Follis of Tancred of Antioch represents contact between the Byzantine Empire and crusaders from the Norman Dynasty. During the Medieval ages it is noted that the Norman dynasty had an indelible impact on other parts of Europe and the Near East. The term follisdescribes a type of coin popular in Roman and Byzantine traditions. This particular follis depicts Tancred in armor with a cross in tow on the recto and a Latin inscription broken up by a cross on the verso. The copper coin shows wear in the striations of patina that characterize the work. The relief drawing emblematizes the conqueror and his religious mission. The very object destabilizes the fixity of place as empire continuously shuttle practices and objects from one location to another. The place of creation is noted as Antioch present-day Syria while the Tancred was born in present-day Italy. The emblem of crusade opens investigations of how war can be examined as a critical point of cultural, religious and artistic contact. 

 

 

Roger the II was the King of Sicily known for uniting all of the Italo-Norman conquered land under a centralized governing force. Roger the II succeeded his brother Simon of Hauteville after he died early in his reign. Ducat of Roger II of Sicily represents the centrality of Sicily in the Mediterranean trade world. The development of the Byzantine-influenced coinage was to ensure ease of trade across the Mediterranean. The coinage engendered great controversy over the prioritization of external trade over internal trade. The tension was pushed further as the coinage came to represent a devaluing of internal trading networks in favor of external trade throughout the Mediterranean. This compendium of coinage represents trade and war as important facilitators of nation making both politically and culturally. The Medieval Ages saw the ravages of war and conquest that continually redefined the lines of empire.

 

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