The Sumerians and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians) dominated Mesopotamia from the beginning of written history (c. 3100 BC) to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death, it became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire.
It was lost fairly quickly to the Parthian Empire, but a number of important silver coins were struck in e.g. Seleucia on Tigris and other Greek cities.
Reverse: Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون Center: محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم الخليفة المهدى يحيى
Die Orientation: 2 H
Weight: 3 g
Reverse: Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون Center: محمد رسول الله بخ بخ
Die Orientation: 6 H
Weight: 2.83 g
Margin: "In The Name of God. This dirham was struck in Madinat al-Salam in the year five and fifty and one hundred (155)"
Center: There is no diety except |
(the one) God alone |
He has no equal
Translation of reverse:
Margin: Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it.
Center: Muhammad
The Messanger
Of God
(Bakh Bakh)
.jpg)
Reverse: Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون Center: محمد رسول الله بخ
Die Orientation: 3 H
Weight: 2.85 g
Year 148 AH=765-766 AD
Translations:
Obverse margin: "In The Name of God. This dirham was struck in Madinat-al-Salam in the year eight and forty and one hundred"
Obverse center: "There is no deity except (the one) God, he has no equal"
Reverse margin: "Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it."
Reverse center: "Muhammad The Messenger Of God (Bakh)"
.jpg)
Reverse: Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون Center: الله احد الله الصمد لم يلد و لم يولد و لم يكن له كفؤا أحد
Die Orientation: 12 H
Weight: 2.76 g
Translations:
Obverse Margin: "In the name of God. This Dirham was struck in Wasit in the year ninety six"
Center: "There is no deity except | (the one) God alone |He has no equal"
Reverse Margin: "Muhammad is the messenger of God. He sent him with guidance and the true religion to reveal it to all religions even if the polytheists abhor it."
Center: "God is One God | The eternal and indivisible, who has not begotten, and | has not been begotten and never is there | His equal"
Reverse: Zeus seated left, leaning on scepter, holding eagle; kerykeion in left field; AΛEΞANΔPOY (HΦΛ) / M
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 16.5 g
Reverse: AΛEΞANΔΡOY - Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre, legs uncrossed, caduceus and M in left field, IΦΛI monogram beneath chair.
Die Orientation: 9 H
Weight: 16.98 g
Lifetime Issue.
Reverse: ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ BAΣIΛEΩΣ / MHP / H - Zeus Aëtophoros seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; MHP monogram in wreath in left field, H below throne, ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ to right, BAΣIΛEΩΣ below.
Die Orientation: 5 H
Weight: 16.93 g
Posthumous Issue.
Reverse: AΛEΞANΔΡOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ / M / ΛY - AΛEΞANΔΡOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ to right and beneath Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre; M in left field, ΛY beneath chair above the strut.
Die Orientation: 12 H
Weight: 17.03 g
Posthumous Issue.
Reverse: Zeus enthroned left, holding eagle and scepter monogram in wreath: (HYP); monogram under throne: (XA) AΛEΞANΔPOY / BAΣIΛEΩΣ
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 17.2 g
Reverse: Apollo seated left, on omphalos, holding arrow and resting on bow
Die Orientation: -
Weight: -
Reverse: Apollo seated left on omphalus, bow in left hand, arrow in right, Greek text left (ANTIOXOY) and right (BAΣIΛEΩΣ), monograms left and right
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 16.97 g
Reverse: Apollo seated on omphalos left, holding arrow and bow; BAΣIΛEΩΣ // ANT_IOXOY, (HYP)_(ΠΩA)
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 16.95 g
Reverse: Zeus seated left, leaning on scepter, holding eagle; ΣEΛEYKOY // (TAYP) // (ΔYP) / BAΣIΛEΩΣ
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 17 g
Reverse: eagle facing, head right, wreath in beak, shrine below; ΔHMAPX EΞ VΠATOC TO Δ
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 13.2 g
Reverse: eagle facing, head right, wreath in beak, bucranium below; ·_ΔHMAPX·EΞ·_VΠA·TO·Δ_·
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 13.8 g
Reverse: turreted bust of Tyche right, Centaur Sagittarius above; AVP CEΠ__KOΛ CINΓAPA
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 10.5 g
Reverse: AYTOK ΓOPΔIANOC ABΓAPOC BACIΛЄYC - Abgar standing left, presenting Nike to Gordian III, who sits to right on sella castrensis set on a small platform.
Die Orientation: 10 H
Weight: 18.6 g
Gordian III with Abgar X Phraates.
Reverse: bearded draped bust of Abgar X Frahad bar Manu right wearing diademed tiara; star left; ABΓAPOC BACIΛEVC
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 9.8 g
Reverse: Abgar X on horse right draped with diademed tiara; ABΓAPOC BACIΛEVC
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 15.4 g
Reverse: City goddess left seated on rocks, holding branch; Centaur Sagittarius above; river-god swimming below; AVP CEΠ KOΛ CINΓAPA
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 17.4 g
Reverse: Margin: محمد رسول الله ارسله بالهدى و دين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله ولو كره المشركون Center: محمد رسول الله مما امر به الامير الامين محمد بن امير المؤمنين جعفر
Die Orientation: 7 H
Weight: 2.96 g
.jpg)
Reverse: Eagle above S.C upside down
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 7.8 g
Reverse: Four line legend citing Saladin as overlord
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 14.17 g
Reverse: Islamic legend in five lines within circular border
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 12.8 g
Reverse: dashes
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 3.8 g
.jpg)
Reverse: Fire altar with attendants at left and right, Pahlavi script to left and right, inside triple circle, crescent with star above on four sides in margin
Die Orientation: 3 H
Weight: 4.12 g
The reverse script to the right of the right attendant near as I can tell the closest match translates to the Erankhvarrah-Shapur mint. I'm not 100% on this.
The script to the left on the reverse is the regnal year, but I could not match it against the examples on beast coins, which doesn't include every year, but includes several and all the above info which is very helpful with this confusing series.
.jpg)
Reverse: eagle facing, head right, wreath in beak, shrine below; ΔHMAP·X·EΞ VΠATOC
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 15.1 g
Reverse: Name and titles of Abbasid caliph in five lines; above, Artuqid tamgha flanked by stars; date in outer margins
Die Orientation: 10 H
Weight: 6.22 g
.jpg)
Reverse: dashes
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 3.8 g
Reverse: facing seated statue of Tyche, ram to the right with head left above and river-god swimming to the right below, all inside tetrastyle temple temple with arched central bay; IOV CEΠ KOΛΩ NECIBI MHT
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 8 g
Reverse: Zeus seated on throne holding an eagle and scepter, wheel to left, monogram below throne, Greek text to right (ΦΙΛΙΠΠOY) and below throne (ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ)
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 17.15 g
Reverse: Dashes
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 3.8 g
Reverse: Artemis standing right with bow and arrow
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 2.14 g
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ | ΣEΛE-YKOY, Apollo seated left on omphalos, examining arrow in right hand, resting left hand on grounded bow; monograms in outer left and right fields
Die Orientation: 0 H
Weight: 16.93 g
Reverse: Anchor, BAΣIΛEΩΣ // ΣEΛEYKOY, monogram
Die Orientation: -
Weight: 4.7 g
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ, Zeus Aëtophoros seated left; monogram in wreath in left field, HP monogram below throne.
Die Orientation: 0 H
Weight: 0 g
Reverse: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEΞANΔΡOY - Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre, anchor and YΠA monogram in left field, A beneath chair. BAΣIΛEΩΣ below, AΛEΞANΔPOY to right.
Die Orientation: 11 H
Weight: 16.95 g
Struck in the name of Alexander III.
Reverse: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ / MI / MH-Π - Zeus seated left, holding eagle and sceptre. MI over club in left field. MH-Π monogram in wreath below.
Die Orientation: 4 H
Weight: 17.06 g