AN EPIGRAPHIC AND NUMISMATIC ANALYSIS OF MAMLUK COINAGE

Abstract

As historical material, coinage-an indicator of human communities entering the process of statehood-serves as a crucial symbol of sovereignty. Numerous elements, such as the political status of a newly established state, its economic condition, the scope and duration of its hegemony, its interactions with other polities, and even its artistic and aesthetic sensibilities, are among the invaluable data derived from numismatic evidence. Mamluk coinage cannot be mechanically attributed to all spheres of sovereignty in a uniform manner. However, as the data acquired through coins found at various times-albeit in a scattered fashion-is remarkably rich, we can utilize them to identify signs of how different sultans and economic practices harmonized or, at the very least, how their main outlines overlapped. Furthermore, these findings allow us to demonstrate the typical values, objectives, and competencies inherent in the economy of the medieval Islamic world. To understand the economic legacy inherited by the Mamluks, one must analyze the coinage of their predecessors. In this study, we shall endeavor to demonstrate once again how a coin discovered at an arbitrary moment can instantaneously bring to light historical information that may not be found in volumes of textual sources.