Arab-Sasanians. AE pashiz (2.66 g, 21 mm). No date (c. late 600s- early 700s CE). Obverse: Cartoonish crowned bust derived from Sasanian prototypes, Pahlavi legend before bust LWBAK (current), uncertain legend behind. Reverse: Standing figure wearing flat headdress, hands extended out in prayer posture, uncertain legends to either side. Gyselen 88. This coin: Pars Coins Auction 31 (October 31, 2022), lot 354. As I've discussed before, as the early Islamic Caliphate expanded out of its Arabian homeland, it initially copied the coin designs of its recently conquered enemies. In former Sasanian territory, this mainly consisted of silver drachms, which continued to bear Sasanian designs with just the addition of Arabic legends. Bronze coinage in the ex-Sasanian territory was more varied, however, with numerous varieties of both obverse and reverse designs. On this coin, the obverse design is derived from standard Sasanian portraiture, though with a simplified execution. The reverse type, however, is novel for Sasanian coins, and shows a figure standing upright and holding their hands out in a gesture of prayer. Unfortunately, the legends aren't very readable. The clearest part is before the bust and seems to read "current', which is found on some other coins and presumably is meant to validate the coin for circulation. This seems to be a rare type- only one example is listed by Gyselen in her 2000 catalogue. This is not a very pretty specimen, but the reverse type is interesting, and I kind of like the artistic style of the obverse, it reminds me a bit of Celtic coin art. Please post whatever related coins you have.
Interesting hypothesis, but I doubt there is any direct connection. Of course both are the product of the nascent Islamic civilization encountering and absorbing local artistic styles and conventions. But other than the fact that they both show a standing human figure, I don't see much similarity to the Standing Caliph type: To my (admittedly not professionally art-history-trained) eyes, the praying figure on my coin looks a lot more similar to the "attendant" figures familiar from late Sasanaian and Arab-Sasanian coins. I would especially note the thinness and elongated nature of the figure, as compared to the Standing Caliph who is relatively stout in his robe. Also, I am not sure how likely it is that the mint masters or engravers in one part of the early Caliphate would be familiar with bronze coinage from elsewhere in the Caliphate. Silver coinage in the Arab-Sasanian regions was rather centralized from the very beginning, but bronze coinage was much more localized and variable, and bronze coins probably didn't circulate as widely as silver. So, the Arab-Sasanian mint master in, say, Bishapur may have had no idea what coins being produced in Amman looked like.
