Material Object

My primary artifact is Khalaf Ibn Ahmad’s coin. It is a round, slim object that is gold in colour and has inscriptions on both sides of it. It is a coin made of gold and produced in 988 (The British Museum). Khalaf Ibn Ahmad was the monarch of Persia during the Saffarid dynasty from the years 963 - 1002 which would be the same time Sekandar was the ruler of Persia in The Shahnameh. This is one of the only artifacts connected to Khalaf Ibn Ahmad and it is tied to his identity. With this being the main relic associated with him, it can be seen as his seal in a sense. There is no direct translation of the inscriptions that is known but items such as these generally praise God which is also in line with the culture in Persia at the time. It was used as a means of currency and also used in trading (Drouot).

My first secondary object is a shadow puppet of Alexander the Great that was used in storytelling plays. This artifact shows Alexander as a warrior, this can be seen through his attire and weaponry. This can be connected to my monster as Sekandar is Alexander as mentioned earlier.

My second secondary object is the gold coin of another ruler, the king of Mercia: Coenwulf. It is a British coin from England during the period 700 - 1250 AD (The British Museum). This can be connected to my primary artifact as it has the similar concept of being currency connected to a ruler but from different times and locations. They are both made of gold, have inscriptions on both sides, round in shape and can be used as payment. There are also some differences other than the time period and where it is from, like this coin has images while Khalaf Ibn Ahmad’s only has words. Overall, it helps us see how different countries and time periods affect the same object.