Historical Context: These coins were minted in Cilician Armenia, a state formed in the Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia about 1045 AD. It was aligned with the European during the Crusades and saw itself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. It was located on the Gulf of Alexandretta of the Mediterranean Sea in what is today southern Turkey , strategically located near the Hoyland. The kingdom remained independent from around 1078 to 1375. Snake Castle (located about 30 miles east of Adana, Turkey) is such a Crusader-era castle on the Cilician plain - See photos to right. These coins (these exact coins) almost certainly passed through this castle while in its prime period.. Cilicia was reconquered from the Arabs by the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas around 965. He expelled the Muslims living there, and Christians from Syria and Armenia were encouraged to settle in the region. Emperor Basil II (976-1025) attempted to expand into Armenian Vaspurakan in the East and Arab-held Syria towards the south. As a result of the Byzantine military campaigns, the Armenians spread into Cappadocia and eastward from Cilicia into the mountainous areas of northern Syria and Mesopotamia. The Armenian immigration increased with the formal annexation of Greater Armenia to the Byzantine Empire in 1045 and the Seljuk conquest 19 years thereafter, giving two new waves of migration. After the fall of Bagratid and during the following centuries, the Armenian state was unable to re-establish itself and its sovereignty. It remained under the rule of Turkic tribes. Obv: Cross Potent, Legend around Rev: Various Symbols (Monograms, Coats of Arms, etc.), Legend around Diameter: 15 to 25 mm diameter (slightly smaller than a US dime to size of a US quarter) Condition: typically Very Good to almost Fine The purchase price is for one of these coins selected randomly.

Antique Coins
Ancient coins