| Description and illustration of 21 bronze coins from the period of the Arab occupation on Crete, examined at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum and the Historical Museum of Crete in April 1956. All specimens are dated ca. 850-950 AD. More precise attribution is hampered by the lack of finds in gold and silver, though the existence of such issues has been verified with regard to other emirs. On the basis of finds it is argued that the Arabs on Crete were not merely pirates, but members of a family dynasty in a position to establish a state with an organized economy, capable of minting gold, silver and bronze coins. |