AlfAB CO/AX 



L'19 



countries, but this may be owing to their having been melted, 

 as jewels of silver are far more common there than elsewhere. 



After the Roman and Byzantine era the Arabic period 

 begins. Trade still followed the ancient channel through the 

 present Russia. Thousands of Arabic coins of silver, besides 

 probably, silver ornaments, to which the name of Kufic l has 

 been given, struck in the countries ruled by the Arabians, 



Fig. 1019. Silver cup. Gotland. \ real size. 



Fig. 1020. Silver vase. Gotland. real size. 



found their way north from Bokhara, Samarcand, Bagdad, 

 Kufa, &c., &c., the earliest dating from 698, the latest 1010 

 after the Christian era. Coins of gold are exceedingly rare ; 

 the greater number of these belong to the ninth and the first 

 half of the tenth century, that is to say, between 880 and 955. 

 From that time a great number of silver ornaments appear in 

 the North. 



Norway has not as yet proved rich in Arabic coins. Of Kufic 



1 Kufa. as we know, was situateil mi 

 one of the branches of the Euphrates, 



south of Bagdad, and was for a while 

 the seat of the Caliphs. 



