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    Arabic Dinars Stuck by Cruseders

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    Arefin Abeer
    Many twentieth century totalitarian regimes, both Fascist and Communist, have treated Freemasonry as a potential source of opposition due to its secret nature and international connections (not to mention its promotion of religious and political tolerance through its symbolism). It has been alleged by Masonic scholars that the language used by the totalitarian regimes is similar to that used by some modern critics of Freemasonry.[107][108]

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    Arabic Dinars Stuck by Cruseders

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    Arefin Abeer
    60 views2 pages
    Many twentieth century totalitarian regimes, both Fascist and Communist, have treated Freemasonry as a potential source of opposition due to its secret nature and international connections (not to mention its promotion of religious and political tolerance through its symbolism). It has been alleged by Masonic scholars that the language used by the totalitarian regimes is similar to that used by some modern critics of Freemasonry.[107][108]

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    Many twentieth century totalitarian regimes, both Fascist and Communist, have treated Freemasonry as a potential source of opposition due to its secret nature and international connections (not to mention its promotion of religious and political tolerance through its symbolism). It has been alleged by Masonic scholars that the language used by the totalitarian regimes is similar to that used by some modern critics of Freemasonry.[107][108]

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    60 views2 pages

    Arabic Dinars Stuck by Cruseders

    Uploaded by

    Arefin Abeer
    Many twentieth century totalitarian regimes, both Fascist and Communist, have treated Freemasonry as a potential source of opposition due to its secret nature and international connections (not to mention its promotion of religious and political tolerance through its symbolism). It has been alleged by Masonic scholars that the language used by the totalitarian regimes is similar to that used by some modern critics of Freemasonry.[107][108]

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    of 2

    ARABIC DINARS STRUCK BY THE

    CRUSADERS

    A CASE OF IGNORANCE OR OF ECONOMIC SUBVERSION*

    BY

    ANDREW S. EHRENKREUTZ

    (The University of Michigan)

    The phenomenon of gold coins struck by the Crusaders in imitation


    of contemporary Arabic dinars has attracted the attention of several

    generations of numismatists. There exist many publications containing


    interesting discussions about the historical background of the appearan-
    ce and circulation of these sarracenati, as well as meticulous descriptions
    of surviving specimens preserved in various numismatic collections

    Although the authors of these contributions have succeeded in corre-

    lating textual and numismatic evidence, they have traditionally ne-

    glected certain basic historical questions concerning of the function


    the gold coinage of the Crusaders and the impact of its circulation on
    the monetary situation in the Mediaeval Mediterranean area. More

    recently, however, there have appeared two publications in which


    treatment of the coinage in question is different from the traditional

    approach of the numismatists. In one of them, entitle "Monnaies a

    legendes arabes de l'Orient Latin", Paul Balog and Jacques Yvon 2)


    propose the following interpretation of the role of the gold coins in
    the monetary system of the Crusaders. "A cote d'une monnaie
    locale,
    emise par chaque principaut6 ou chaque fief, il existe une monnaie de
    valeur, internationale, dirons-nous, capable d'etre le moyen d'echange

    *) This paper was read at the XXVI International Congress of Orientalists, New
    Delhi, India; January 1964.
    i) For bibliographical details concerning these publications, see Paul Balog et
    Jacques Yvon, "Monnaies ? legendes arabes de 1'Orient Latin", hevue Numismatique,
    6e serie, 1, I9j 8, p. 133, n. x .
    2) Ihid., p. 1 3-168.
    I68

    par excellence dans les transactions de cette partie de l'Orient medi-


    terran6en" 1). In the other contribution, entitle "Back to Gold,
    Robert S. Lopez 2) considers the gold coinage of the Crusaders as an
    abortive, typological forerunner of the Genoese gold coins 3). In the
    present paper I wish to communicate additional evidence concerning
    the gold coins of the Crusaders. It is my belief that a proper interpre-
    tation of this evidence permits one to attribute to this coinage a more

    significant historical function than has so far been suggested.


    Before presenting this new evidence, I wish to provide a background
    to my discussion by stating certain well established facts about the
    monetary pattern which confronted the Crusaders upon the establish-
    ment of their regime in the Near East. To begin with, one must re-
    member that Christian leaders responsible for the administrative and
    fiscal organization of the Frankish kingdom in the Near East originated
    from the countries of Western Europe, the coinage system of which
    had been for many centuries based on silver. On the other hand, it is
    obvious that in establishing their regime in Syria, the Crusaders had to
    align their monetary concepts and practices with the conditions existing
    in that part of the Mediterranean world. As it has been discussed by
    Carlo M. Cipolla, since the end of the seventh century of the Christian
    era the Mediterranean area had been dominated by two strong coins
    that enjoyed a predominant international prestige: the Muslim dinar
    and the Byzantine nomisma 4). The international success of these "dollars
    of the Middle Ages" 5) was achieved through their high unitary value,
    their intrinsic stability, and because of the powerful economic assets,

    l) Ibid., p, 1 3 8.
    2) Economic History Review, 9, ii, 19j 7, p. 2 1 9-z4O.
    3) Ibid., p. 228; Cl. Cahen in his "Notes sur l'Histoire des Croisades et de 1'Orient
    Latin. III. Orient Latin et Commerce du Levant", Bulletin de la Faculté des Lettres de
    Strasbourg, 2ge ann6e, 8, 195I, p. 3 3 7,conceded that the gold coinage of the Crusaders
    should be regarded "comme quelque chose de plus important qu'une curiosite locale,
    explicable par des besoins locaux".
    4) Cf. Carlo M. Cipolla, Money, Prices, and Civilization in the Mediterranean World.
    Fifth to SeventeenthCentury, 1 9 j 6,p. 20.
    Cf. Ibid., p. 22; also, R. S. Lopez, "The Dollar of the Middle Ages", Journal of
    Economic History, 1 1 ,195 I, p. 209-234.

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