An unidentified silver dirham fragment found in Torksey, Lincolnshire. © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
An unidentified silver dirham fragment found in Torksey, Lincolnshire. © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

An unidentified silver dirham fragment found in Torksey, Lincolnshire. © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge An unidentified silver dirham fragment found in Torksey, Lincolnshire. © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Abbasid Silver Dirham Fragment (CM_1775_2008)

An Abbasid silver dirham fragment found in Torksey, Lincolnshire

A silver dirham fragment possibly minted at al-`Abbasiyya. The dirham was a unit of weight used across North Africa, the Middle East, and Persia, with varying values which also referred to the type of coins used in the Middle East during the Viking Age. These coins were extremely prized possessions not only for their silver value but as a way of displaying one’s wealth and vast trade connections. Millions of Arabic dirhams would have been imported throughout the Viking world and are mostly found in hoards.

Object Type

Coin

Date

785 — 786

Style

Ascribed Culture

Original/Reproduction

Original

Material

Collection

Viking Objects

Current Location

The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Keywords

Arabic, bullion, coin, Currency, Danelaw Saga, dirham, Economy, Fitzwilliam_Museum, Lincolnshire, silver, Torksey

Further information

You can see the original at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

This object is related to Torksey, Lincolnshire.
Find out about Torksey, Lincolnshire.

Acknowledgements

© The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

 

References

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Related items

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Reproduction Arabic Silver Dirham
Abbasid Silver Dirham (CM_773_2008)
Abbasid Silver Dirham Fragment (CM_1770_2008)

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