Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
One of Two Coins Depicting Ousanas and an Anonymous King
The Aksumite Kingdom began to issue coins about AD 270. Silver and bronze coins were issued for local, everyday use, and generally followed the design of Roman coins with a bust portrait of the ruler in profile on one side. Aksumite coins were the first in the ancient world to carry the cross as a symbol of the ruler's devotion to the Christian religion.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
William Wright Gallery, New York [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Knopfelmacher Collection, New York, [date of acquisition unknown] by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1996, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2006-2007 | Angels of Light: Ethiopian Art from the Walters Art Museum. Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton; Museum of Biblical Art, New York. |
| 1996 | Ethiopian Art at The Walters. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Ethiopia, Aksum (Place of Origin)
Measurements
1/16 x 7/16 in. (0.1 x 1.2 cm) (d. x diam.)
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph and Margaret Knopfelmacher, 1996
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
59.794