★ Umayyad falconry ★

ISLAMIC, Umayyad Caliphate. Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, AH 41-60 / AD 661-680. Fals (Bronze, 20 mm, 4.28 g, 6 h), Arab-Byzantine type, Dimashq. Imperial figure standing facing, holding long cross in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left; in left field, falcon standing right on falcon perch; to right, Λ/Є/Ο. Rev. Large M flanked by A/N/O and X/-I/II; above, monogram; below, officina mark of inverted crescent with short line below; in exergue, ΔAM. DOCAB 48. Goodwin&Gyselen p. 51, 18. Minor corrosion on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.

From the collection of J. Knudsen, formed from the late 1970s to the late 1990s.

Falconry played an important role within the Umayyad culture: it was a favorite pastime of the ruling elite and a symbol of high status.