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Regular AE - Giorgi III falcon in the right hand
| Issuer | Kingdom of Georgia |
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| Year | 1174 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 4.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Frontal bust of King Giorgi III in regal attire, depicted full-faced and enthroned in the Byzantine imperial tradition. The king wears an elaborate crown and ornate robes, holding a falcon in his right hand — a symbol of royal authority and aristocratic prestige. Georgian Asomtavruli and Mkhedruli script inscriptions appear in the field to either side of the bust. The die work is characteristic of medieval Georgian hammered coinage, with bold relief and irregular flan edges. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a multi-line Arabic Kufic/Naskh inscription arranged in horizontal registers across the field, with a border of further inscriptions running along the outer margin. The text proclaims the royal titulature of Giorgi III in the Islamic tradition, identifying him as King of Kings and Sword of the Messiah. The script is deeply struck and covers the majority of the flan, consistent with Georgian copper coinage of the 12th century that used Arabic alongside Georgian legends as a reflection of the multicultural nature of the Bagratid court. |
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| Additional information |
Giorgi III consolidated royal authority in Georgia through deliberate suppression of noble opposition, including the blinding and imprisonment of the pretender Demna in 1177. His coinage reflects a reign defined by centralizing ambition — the king actively worked to subordinate the great aznauri families who had fragmented power during earlier reigns. Georgian copper issues of this period circulated alongside a thriving trade economy fed by the Silk Road routes passing through Tbilisi, then one of the most cosmopolitan cities between Constantinople and Baghdad.