Islamic coins abandoned human images, a significant departure from prior norms.

Evidence

But something quite unexpected happened to those coins with Abd al-Malik standing on them. … After a few years they simply vanished. During the Hijri year 77 (AD 697), the standing caliph coin was suddenly replaced with a design that could hardly be more different. There is no caliph, no figure, only words. — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 730

Categorization

• XREF: The transition from figural to text-only currency in Islamic culture contrasts sharply with earlier practices in other civilizations, like those of neighboring empires. — connects to: Preserving religious feeling requires abandoning religious forms — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 865
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 730

Broader Connections

• Preserving religious feeling requires abandoning religious forms #exemplifies (0.82) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 865