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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Finn235, post: 3296617, member: 98035&quot;]Another interesting one to ponder on...</p><p><br /></p><p>Khwarezm kingdom, Afrighid Dynasty</p><p>Sawashfan (Sawsafan, Sawrsafan, Shao She Fien)</p><p>Fl. 750&#039;s</p><p>AR Tetradrachm reduced to Dirhem standards (27mm, 3.17g)</p><p>Bust of king right in ornate crown, Sogdian SWSPRN before</p><p>King on horseback, raising whip, Chorasmian legend around MR&#039;Y MLK S&#039;YWRSPN (Sawashfan, King)</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]872652[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>This coin could arguably be called a tetradrachm, a drachm, and a dirhem! Originating in about the first century BC/AD as a ~13.5g tetradrachm, the weight was reduced to 6g by the start of the Afrighid dynasty, then further to about 4 grams, like the contemporary holdouts of the Hunnic drachms. By the 750s, the weight was further reduced to let these &quot;reduced tetradrachms&quot; circulate as dirhems - which they apparently did, as one of these coins was found in an 8th/9th century Viking hoard!</p><p><br /></p><p>But what did the good citizens of Khwarezm call these coins? Heck if I know![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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