I've been seeing this meme format for a while now, so I made this! This is my crude Sasanian drachm minted towards the end of the empire, possibly from Khosrow ii, 591-628 AD. When I received this coin I couldn't believe how it's razor thin, and light-weight despite having the same mass of 4 grams as my Alexander drachm! Post any relevant coins from the period!
One can't help but imagine how different our world would be today if the Sassanians had taken the Arab invaders seriously, and mounted as effective a resistance as they had against the Byzantines. I'm lucky to own one of of last Sassanian coins ever minted, a drachm of Yazdegerd III minted in 651 in Sistan (SK), just months before he was murdered outside of Merv for his purse
I don't think that it was because they did not take the Arab invasion seriously but because they could not do so. Their last war with the Byzantines under Heraclius had so weakened both the Byzantines and Persians in their knock down, drag out constant all maximum effort against each other, that neither one could have mounted an effective defense.
Khosrau II. I don't quite understand the regnal dates but I think around 623 at the height of the Byzantine / Sasanian war.
Here's a few others... @Finn235 Nice coin! Khusro II.... Regional Year 37 (AD 628). Khusro I....Regnal year 26 = 557AD. Valkash .....484 - 488 C.E. Hormizd IV. ..... RY 12. Last year of reign 590AD
@OutsiderSubtype .......Hopefully not telling you something you already know? Your coin is from the mint AY at or near Eran-khvarrah-Shapur, Khuzistan. Regional Year 32 = 621/22 AD.........BTW a nice looking coin!
I always saw this small local Persian copper coin from about 700 AD as a picture of the end of the old Zoroastrian faith and the old Sasanian order: a sad priest and the sad goddess Anahita, all but faded away. Arab-Sasanian AE pashiz, dating from 65-96 AH / 685-715 AD, Istakhr (Naqš-i Rustam). 14mm, 0.9 gr, 6h. Album A46. Gyselen Type 23.
How exactly do you convert the date on the coin to a common era date? Were their years the same length as ours? The mint was pretty easy due to this useful guide on numista.
Looks like guide on the Beast Coins site will help with the dates. https://www.beastcoins.com/Sasanian/Sasanian.htm
@OutsiderSubtype.....Year 1 = AD17.........Sorry didn't realise you already knew... Another really useful site is......http://www.grifterrec.rasmir.com/coins.html.... @Pellinore.......WOW!, that's a sweet coin, and very rare!...What lovely detail for the type!....Thanks for posting.......
I enjoy the Sasanians in my collection but am rather weak when it comes to reading the date scripts. Coins of Khusro II are by far the most common of all the rulers but right now there are a lot of coins of Yazdgerd I and Bahram V on the market (recent hoard) who used to be scarce. We also should mention that there is a lot of disagreement on the proper transliteration of the names. All vowels and most consonants are up for discussion. Xusru = Khusro, for example.
