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Æ12 - Anonymous
| Issuer | Kingdom of Aksum |
|---|---|
| Year | 340-375 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 12 mm |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of an anonymous Aksumite ruler facing right, wearing a crown or headband, with the Greek royal title legend partially visible in the field. The portrait is rendered in the typical schematic style of fourth-century Aksumite bronze coinage, with broad facial features and summary drapery at the shoulder. The flan is irregular and slightly clipped at the lower left, consistent with hand-struck production. Traces of a circular border are discernible around the periphery of the die. Surface patination is a deep olive-green with areas of earthen encrustation obscuring fine detail. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Greek |
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| Additional information |
Anonymous bronze issues from Aksum in this period fall within the reign of Ezana, the king who converted to Christianity and made it the state religion — one of the earliest polities in history to do so. These small bronzes predate or overlap with that conversion, placing them at one of the more consequential turning points in northeastern African political history. The anonymous attribution reflects either a deliberate minting choice or simply the loss of identifying die evidence across what was a geographically sprawling trade network reaching the Arabian peninsula and the Indian Ocean.