Early coins used by traders in the Gulf came from the kingdoms around the Aegean sea dating from the 6th or 7th centuries B.C

Best known was the famous coinage of Athens, bearing the head of A thena on the obverse and an owl and olive branch on the reverse.

Later coinage from the Sabaeans and Himyarites of southern Arabia also followed these Greek models.

Alexandar, the great produced the most famous coinage of the ancients, and imitations continued in the Gulf for many years.

Roman coins circulated widely, though at the time of the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) birth, the main coins for trade were Byzantine gold solidi and Sasanian si lver drachms.

Early coinage of Southern Arabia

Macedonia - tetradrachm Alexander III, The Great c. 336-323 B.C Amphipolis

Sabaean - drachm or unit Anonymous South Arabia 2nd century B.C

Himyarite - 1/4 drachm or unit Anonymous South Arabia c. 100-24 B.C

Roman Coins

Roman Empire - denarius Elagabus (Rome) c. 218-222 A.D

Roman Empire - sestertius Severus Alexander Annona Augusta c. 222-235 A.D

Roman Empire - antonianus M.Aurelius Probs (Rome) c. 276-282 A.D

Parthian and Sasanian

Sasanian - drachm Kavadhi, 498-531 A.D Al = Sus, ry 23

Sasanian - drachm Hurmazd IV, 579-590 A.D Ml = Maysan, ry 12

Byzantine

Byzantine Empire - solidus Heraclius and two sons Constantinople, 613-638 A.D

Byzantine Empire - solidus Heraclius and two sons Constantinople, 638-641 A.D