1. The coins in this module expanded my understanding of the caliphates by showing the important linkage between religion and politics in the Islamic world. By inscribing religious inscriptions on the coined money of the time, the caliph was essentially asserting his right to rule under Allah, and in the process, was showing the citizenry how he had the legitimate right to rule. 

1. Religion and politics blend together in the coins through the use of Islamic phrases and even limited iconography. Money is an extension of the state and displays the political power of the ruling class. By combining politics and religion in the money of the time, the caliph these coins were essentially propaganda that was used to show the populace that the caliph had the right to rule due to the power granted to him under th tenants of the Islamic faith.

The coins help me understand that the trade system was very extensive and successful in the early Islamic world. 

People often associate power with only those who had political power. However, in the middle ages, those who were religious leaders also had political power. I see religion and politics blending together in the minting of these gold coins because of the it was caliphs who were minted and gave value to these coins. People accepted it and adopted it as currency.

• First, consider how objects are part of your classroom discussions, lecturers, or activities. Please share creative ways that you incorporate material culture into your classroom. 
  • I often use objects in station activities in my classroom. For example, when we begin our African Kingdoms unit, students examine 4 of the common myths about Medieval Africa by visiting stations with primary and secondary sources (based on the NHC course - Medieval Africa and Africans). Students look at the Benin Bronzes, coinage, other artworks from Europe that use ivory and gold from West Africa, and other objects. Through analyzing images of these objects, they use them to disprove the myth about medieval Africa. 
  • I haven’t yet used one of the culture trunks from the University of Texas at Austin Hemispheres program, but I have wanted to do that for some time. There is something really valuable about students being able to touch and hold various objects in order to learn more about a culture or religious group. Here is the link in case anyone is interested (and I believe there are more on their website): Religion Trunks & Culture Trunks
• How do the coins expand your knowledge of the caliphates and the trade system in the early Islamic world? 
  • The coins are archaeological evidence that takes us back in time to the caliphates and how they adapted the common use of currency for their own political and religious benefit and messaging. Currency is something that makes its way from one place to another, so it is an easy way to disseminate their religious message to citizens of all faiths throughout their empire. In essence, the coins became missionaries of the Islamic faith. 
• How do you see religion and politics blending together in the minting of these gold coins? 
  • I see religion and politics blending together in the minting of these gold coins because the coins became the ambassadors of faith while also serving an economic purpose. Like emperors before them, the caliphs needed to assert their political dominance in their new lands, and currency allowed them to permeate the economic and religious lives of their conquered peoples. 

I've dabbled in the coinage of the Islamic world and have a issue of the Sassanian coins pictured in the Bacharach essay. I was thrilled to learn more of this issue and I'm looking forward to getting back into this essay and unpacking more.

The BBC article was also fascinating and the immediacy of the coinage change was remarkable. I most definitely will be adding this series of Abd al-Malik coins to my lesson (if not my collection as well!) 

In regards to the commenting on the role of religion and politics through coins I wanted to share a passage from the Bacharach essay that I found interesting. In the late 7th century upon the issuing of the new coinage system in Damascus, among other post-Byzantine communities, there were critics of the change. Some came from the umma that considered the sacrilege of printing God's words on coins. Additionally the merchant class considered this a manner in which they were "cheated" out of profits due to the lost established monetary norms of the Byzantines.

This was a fun lesson that I will for sure come back to soon. 

-Sam Knopik

The coins expand knowledge of the caliphates and the trade system in the early Islamic world because they signify the importance of religion.  Because the images on the coins changed from showing images of the leaders to depicting lines from the Quran, we see how intertwined religion is with the politics at the time. 

The gold coins are representative of the country or region because it is their currency and how they are able to obtain goods.  The political system is represented because the coins are minted by the government, yet the religious writing on the coins proves the interconnectedness of politics and religion in this society.

2.  I thought it was interesting to read in the transcript while I listened to the podcast from the BBC about the significance of coinage in the “pre-modern world.”  Coins were the only mass produced item used by the population - rich and poor alike.  It was a significant “visual culture of a society” or “a billboard for the boss.”  The minting of these coins tell me that the caliphate of Abd al Malik was stable, powerful and secure - secure enough to replace the former Byzantine empire currency with his own.  It also represents the foothold Islam has in the world at the time.  The use of written Arabic language is also significant.  As stated in the BBC podcast, “Arabic, the language of God, inscribed on Islamic coinage, became a fundamental tool for the integration and survival of the first Islamic state.”

3.  The most obvious blending of religion and politics is the decision to remove the image of the caliph from the coins and replace that image with verses from the Quran.  The coins were controlled and minted under the control of the caliph.  The decision to remove his image, and subsequently all images of humans from that point until after WWI.

2. Where the coins were minted and their range of circulation are strong indicators of the reach of political, economic, and religious power. Were the coins valued more highly than the coinage from other political systems? Where was the gold mined which was used to produce the coins?  Do we know the names of the individuals who designed the coins? Were the coins freely circulated or were they hoarded? What laws existed regarding the consequences of counterfeiting the coins? 

3. The use of inscriptions from the 5 Pillars of Faith and theological statements on the coins were officially approved by the ruling political power. Coins from most other realms during this time period would include images of the rulers which indicated political power. The Islamic coins bear no images of rulers which stands in strong contrast to coinage from other regions.

I immediately thought of how I use money in my classroom. Depending on the particular economics class, I use international money in a variety of ways, from calculating exchange rates or "worth" of the amount they have in their hand, to analyzing the imagery/message to learn about the values of the country producing the money, to just a reminder that when we are working with Tanzanian shillings (like two classes were last week), a number like 1,000 or 2,000 might not mean a high value, given that coins are worth 500 shillings. Other than money I don't have a lot of artifacts/realia that I use in the classroom. I do use a lot of images of realia, though.

• How do the coins expand your knowledge of the caliphates and the trade system in the early Islamic world? 

I was unable to access the BBC documentary, but I found it very interesting to trace the changes in coinage in the Bacharach article and the significance of each change. For example, that the caliph would choose to highlight religious words to emphasize that it is a "Muslim" coin to show the extent of his power, was a point that was fairly obvious to me but I'd never considered. 

• How do you see religion and politics blending together in the minting of these gold coins? 

The choice of image or no image, which phrases/texts to use, etc. show a varying degree of religious influence, while literally putting one's "stamp" on the coins shows political power, particularly in establishing their own coinage instead of using the money from other nearby political powers.

I incorporate material culture into my classroom in numerous ways. As a chemistry teacher, it is natural for me to provide numerous tactile objects for my students to work with. For example, we recently completed a unit on intermolecular forces, and I brought in dish soap and milk to do a demonstration. This helps students see physical objects to paint a picture for something that is more intangible.

• How do the coins expand your knowledge of the caliphates and the trade system in the early Islamic world? 

The coins expand my knowledge of the caliphates in that they show me the different ideologies that each caliphate possessed. They might feature different verses from the Quran in each coin, or showcase some phrases that a particular caliphate emphasized. This would help me understand more completely the ideology of a particular caliphate.

• How do you see religion and politics blending together in the minting of these gold coins? 

In a sense, the caliphate was already a blending of religion and politics. The caliphate was the reign of a chief Muslim ruler, so the authority was using religious power to enact laws. As such, these gold coins would showcase both the religious and political agendas of the rulers and what they wanted to complete/accomplish in their reign.