A Critical Analysis of a Mamluk Hoard from Karak. (Volumes I and II).

In 1963 an impressive hoard was accidentally turned up near the tower of al-Sultan Zahir Baybars I at the site of the old Muslim city of Karak in southern Jordan. The hoard was the largest of its type uncovered to date. It consisted of a total of 2,244 early Mamluk silver species found inside a pot. The specimens were issued during a brief span of 39 years (A.H. 657-696/A.D. 1257-1296, the earliest sultan represented in the hoard being Qutuz, and the latest sultan Kitbugha), and were struck by only three main mints (Cairo, Damascus, and Hamah). They constitute a very important body of fresh numismatic evidence. The contents of the hoard have multiplied several times the amount of Mamluk silver coinage known to exist today. Not only do we have many additional specimens of previously known coin types, but there are also several new varieties and types that fill lacunae for years not previously represented in the numismatic literature. Furthermore, several controversies among numismatists have now been resolved through the analytical study of the hoard. For example, in light of the information bequeathed by medieval Muslim chroniclers, many modern scholars have maintained that Mamluk silver currency did not conform to any regular system in terms of metrology and fineness. The large quantity of silver coins in this hoard provides new data sufficient and conclusive enough to force a revision of that view. The weights of 2.89, 1.39 and 0.83 grams for full dirhams, halves and quarters respectively strongly suggest that the weight of dirhams under the early Mamluks closely adhered to the classical Islamic st and ard of weight. An attempt was made to determine the st and ard of fineness of the coins by neutron activation analysis. The method involved analysing tiny metal rubbings taken from the outer edges of the coins. If the observed high silver contents (70-95%) are adjusted for surface silver enrichment effects and further corrected for surface loss of copper due to the method of cleaning used by the museum, then silver contents in the range of about 50-80% would probably result. These adjusted values are in partial disagreement with the claims of al-Maqr(')iz(')i (A.D. 1364-1422), and also the findings of many modern numismatists. Apart from its interpretative contribution, this dissertation presents a methodological catalogue of the contents of the hoard, substantially enlarging the corpus of published Mamluk silver coinage. It also offers 51 plates with photographic reproductions of pertinent specimens.Ph.D.ArchaeologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161025/1/8612621.pd