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Arabic seal (tenth/eleventh century)

 
 

Obverse

Overstruck seal. It shows the bust of a male saint, a cross on steps at 7 o'clock, and one letter: η. No visible border.

Reverse

Arabic inscription. No visible border.

نسر ؟ حم ؟

Obverse

Overstruck seal. It shows the bust of a male saint, a cross on steps at 7 o'clock, and one letter: η. No visible border.

Reverse

Arabic inscription. No visible border.

نسر ؟ حم ؟

Accession number BZS.1951.31.5.3739
Diameter 17.0 mm
Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Thomas Whittemore.

Translation

نسر ؟ حم ؟ .H

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Commentary

The obverse is difficult to read as it is clearly overstruck, perhaps twice. The reverse is in Arabic, but the flan is too small for the die. As a result the Arabic is too fragmentary for even a single word to be satisfactorily interpreted.